The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved projects worth approximately N540 billion to upgrade the National Hospital, Abuja, into a quaternary healthcare institution and to construct a new cancer treatment centre. The approvals were announced by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, following the weekly FEC meeting on Wednesday.
Approved Projects and Contractors
Details of the approvals were shared by Kamorudeen Yusuf, the Personal Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, in a post on X. The projects include the construction of new facilities at the National Hospital, Abuja, a Neuroscience Institute, and a new National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) facility.
According to Yusuf, the council approved N18.74 million for the refitting of the hospital’s administrative block, with Visible Construction Limited awarded the contract. Additionally, N64.92 billion was approved for modular clinics and a theatre complex, to be built by Strabbing Construction Limited.
Another N103 billion was approved for a new hospital wing, with CBC Global Civil Construction Limited as the contractor. This project is expected to be completed within 24 months. Furthermore, the council approved N69 billion for a Neuroscience Institute covering neurosurgery, radiology, and rehabilitation, with CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Limited awarded the contract.
Upgrade Rationale and Cancer Centre
These approvals are part of broader plans to transform the National Hospital, which Pate noted had lagged behind its “original vision” due to years of underinvestment since its establishment about 25 years ago. The largest approved project is the N302.3 billion facility for the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.
Yusuf stated that the cancer centre project, awarded to CBC Global Civil and Building Construction Nigeria Limited, has a 36-month completion period. The facility is expected to strengthen cancer research and treatment capacity in the country.
Pate was quoted as saying, “The projects follow President Tinubu’s directive to strengthen healthcare infrastructure nationwide, and that funding comes through National Assembly appropriations already reflected in the 2025 and 2026 budgets rather than direct ministry allocation.”
