- Alausa Inaugurates Committee to Fast-Track Armed Forces College of Medicine
- Says Military Medical College to Produce Doctors, Nurses for Armed Forces
- Armed Forces College Will Address 93% Military Medical Personnel Deficit
The Federal Government has taken a major step towards establishing the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences with the inauguration of a Technical Working Group to fast-track the institution’s take-off ahead of the 2026 academic session.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, inaugurated the committee in Abuja, describing the proposed institution as a strategic investment aimed at strengthening military healthcare and enhancing national security.
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According to the minister, the college will provide the Nigerian Armed Forces with a sustainable pipeline of doctors, nurses and other specialised healthcare professionals trained specifically to meet the operational demands of military service, reducing the military’s dependence on civilian institutions for medical personnel.
“We cannot continue to leave the brave men and women who defend our nation without a sustainable system for training the healthcare professionals they require. Neither can we continue to expect the Armed Forces to compete with the rest of the country for the limited number of doctors graduating from our universities,” Alausa said.
He explained that the inauguration of the Technical Working Group followed the Federal Government’s approval for the establishment of the college and marked the transition from policy approval to implementation.
The minister noted that the initiative complements the government’s broader expansion of medical education across the country.
He disclosed that annual admissions into Medicine and Dentistry had increased from about 5,000 before the current administration to 10,405 students, with a target of raising admissions to at least 20,000 within the next two years through the accreditation of additional colleges of medicine.
Alausa also revealed that annual enrolment into nursing programmes had risen from about 28,000 students to nearly 120,000 nationwide, surpassing the administration’s target.
He, however, stressed that the healthcare needs of the Armed Forces require a dedicated institution with programmes tailored to military operations.
The minister directed the committee to prioritise specialised courses such as Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and other programmes that support the treatment and rehabilitation of personnel recovering from combat-related injuries.
“This institution is not being established to compete with conventional universities. It is being established to make the Armed Forces self-sufficient in producing the healthcare professionals they require,” he said.
Alausa said the Technical Working Group comprises representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Defence, the National Universities Commission, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the Nigerian Defence Academy and other strategic institutions.
He said the committee would develop the academic curriculum, integrate academic and military training, coordinate accreditation processes, facilitate the appointment of academic personnel and work with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to ensure the admission of the first set of students during the 2026 academic session.
The minister added that he had engaged the JAMB Registrar to include the proposed institution on the admissions portal while directing the National Universities Commission to fast-track accreditation and resource verification.
Providing an update on preparations, the Director-General of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme and Chairman of the Technical Working Group, Major General Idris Babatunde Solebo, said the institution would be modelled after the Uniformed Services University in the United States.
He explained that students would undergo integrated military and academic training, equipping them with skills in battlefield medicine, Tactical Combat Casualty Care and other specialised military medical disciplines.
Solebo disclosed that the college would be located at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, where existing infrastructure would support its immediate take-off.
He also revealed that the Armed Forces currently face an estimated 93 per cent deficit in medical personnel, underscoring the need for the institution to provide a sustainable supply of healthcare professionals.
Alausa expressed appreciation to the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence for supporting the initiative and reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to ensuring the college admits its pioneer military medical cadets during the 2026 academic session.
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