The Late Augustus Akhabue Aikhomu Foundation has proposed a partnership with the Federal Government for the management of a newly completed 62-bed specialist medical centre in Edo State, in a move aimed at guaranteeing the facility’s long-term sustainability and expanding access to quality healthcare.

The proposal was presented on Friday when the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, led by its Chairman, Chief Leemon Ikpea, paid a courtesy visit to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, in Abuja.

The hospital, located at Idumu-Iyase in Ewatto, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, was built by the Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation (ALIF) as a legacy project to address healthcare gaps in the community and surrounding areas.

Presenting the proposal, Ikpea said the Foundation was seeking a public-private partnership that would allow the Federal Government, through a designated federal health institution, to operate and manage the hospital while ownership remains with the Foundation.

He said the arrangement would guarantee professional administration, high clinical standards and the long-term viability of the facility.

The hospital is fully equipped with 62 beds, male, female and paediatric wards, operating theatres, an accident and emergency unit, labour and postnatal wards, X-ray and CT scan facilities, physiotherapy services, ambulances, consultants’ offices, administrative blocks, standby power supply, restaurant and laundry facilities. Doctors’ residential quarters and a police post are also being completed.

The Foundation also invited the minister to officially inaugurate the Late Augustus Akhabue Aikhomu Foundation and attend the public presentation of the biography of the late Chief of General Staff, Admiral Augustus Akhabue Aikhomu.

The event is scheduled for October 20, 2026, at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State.

Professor Pate was further invited to commission and formally receive the medical facility on behalf of the Federal Government as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in Edo State and across the country.

According to the Foundation, it was established to preserve the legacy of the late Admiral Aikhomu by promoting interventions in healthcare, education, leadership development and community development.

The delegation included the Chief Medical Director of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and Vice Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Professor Reuben Eifediyi; the Board Secretary, ESV Tony Okonigene; and Professor Bolaji Babatunde, Special Assistant (Technical) to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.