By Ngozi Nwankwo
Federal Government has inaugurated a Technical Working Group to drive the establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences, with a target to admit the first set of military medical cadets in the 2026 academic session.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, who inaugurated the group in Abuja recently, said the institution will end the military’s long-standing reliance on civilian universities for the training of doctors, nurses and other health professionals.
“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,” said Alausa.
He described the college as a strategic investment in national security and human capital development, noting that it would produce personnel trained specifically for the operational demands of military service.
The Minister said the initiative complements ongoing government efforts to expand medical education.
He disclosed that annual admissions into medicine and dentistry have risen from about 5,000 before the current administration to 10,405, with a target of 20,000 in the next two years. Nursing enrolment has also increased from 28,000 to nearly 120,000 nationwide.
Alausa urged the Technical Working Group to prioritize programmes such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and other specialties needed for the treatment and rehabilitation of personnel with 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.
The working group comprises representatives of the Federal Ministries of Education and Defence, the National Universities Commission, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Nigerian Defence Academy and other key institutions.
Its mandate includes developing the curriculum, integrating academic and military training, coordinating accreditation, and working with JAMB to ensure admissions commence in 2026.
The Minister said he has directed JAMB to include the college on its portal and the NUC to fast-track resource verification.
Chairman of the group and Director General of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme, Maj. Gen. Idris Babatunde Solebo, said the college will be modelled after the Uniformed Services University in the United States. It will be sited at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
Solebo noted that the Armed Forces currently face an estimated 93 per cent deficit in medical personnel, making the new college critical to military healthcare delivery.
The Minister of Education commended the Ministers of Defence for their support and expressed confidence that the college would admit its pioneer cadets in 2026.
