Alausa Unveils Committee For Armed Forces Medical College

The Federal Government has intensified plans to establish the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences, with the inauguration of a Technical Working Group tasked with ensuring the institution begins academic activities in the 2026 session.

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Friday, describing the proposed college as a strategic investment aimed at producing doctors, nurses and other specialised healthcare professionals to meet the unique needs of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He said the institution would end the military’s long-standing dependence on civilian universities for the training of its 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.

The minister said the inauguration marked the transition from policy approval to implementation following the Federal Government’s approval for the establishment of the college.

He explained that the initiative complements the administration’s broader expansion of medical education, disclosing 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 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 to nearly 120,000 nationwide, surpassing the government’s target, while commending the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for maintaining standards that have earned Nigerian nurses global recognition.

The minister stressed that the Armed Forces require a purpose-built institution offering programmes tailored to military healthcare, including Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Speech Therapy and other specialised disciplines for the treatment and rehabilitation of personnel injured in combat.

“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. Every programme should answer one simple question: Does the Armed Forces need it? If the answer is yes, then it should be prioritised,” he said.

According to Alausa, 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 key institutions.

He said the committee would develop the academic curriculum, integrate military and academic training, coordinate accreditation, facilitate the appointment of academic personnel and work with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to ensure admissions commence in the 2026 academic session.

The minister disclosed that he had engaged JAMB to include the proposed institution on its admissions portal and directed the National Universities Commission to fast-track resource verification and accreditation processes.

Providing an update, the Director-General of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme and Chairman of the Technical Working Group, Brigadier General Dr. Idris Babatunde Solebo, said the college would adopt the model of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in the United States, combining academic education with military training from admission to graduation.

Solebo said the institution would be located within the vicinity of the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Lagos, leveraging existing infrastructure for an early take-off.

He noted that the Armed Forces face a shortage of medical personnel, making the establishment of the college critical to ensuring a sustainable supply of doctors and other healthcare professionals for military service.

Alausa expressed appreciation to the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence for supporting the initiative and voiced confidence that the college would admit its first set of military medical cadets during the 2026 academic session.