Nigeria Plans Military Medical College to Train Armed Forces Healthcare Workers

(Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa. Photo by Punch News)

The Federal Government has announced plans to train doctors, nurses, and other specialised healthcare workers solely for the Nigerian Armed Forces, with the first batch of military medical cadets set to enroll in the 2026 academic year.

Olatunji Alausa, Minister of Education, announced this on Friday in Abuja while launching a Technical Working Group to expedite the establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah.

Attah explained that the proposed institution is designed to end the Armed Forces’ long-standing reliance on civilian universities for training medical personnel, by creating a dedicated pipeline of healthcare professionals equipped for military service.

Describing the initiative as a strategic investment in national security and human capital development, the Minister, Alausa, said the establishment of the Technical Working Group marked the Federal Government’s shift from policy approval to actual implementation.

He said the nation could no longer afford to leave the men and women who defend it without a sustainable system for training the healthcare professionals they need, nor could the Armed Forces continue competing with the rest of the country for the limited number of doctors produced by Nigerian universities each year.

He added that the Armed Forces deserved a healthcare workforce trained specifically around the demands of military operations, noting that the new institution would focus on producing professionals equipped to support soldiers both on and off the battlefield.

The minister explained that the project complements the Federal Government’s ongoing expansion of medical education nationwide.

According to him, annual admissions into Medicine and Dentistry have risen from about 5,000 before the current administration to 10,405, with government targeting at least 20,000 admissions within the next two years through the accreditation of additional colleges of medicine.

He also disclosed that annual enrolment into nursing programmes has grown from roughly 28,000 to nearly 120,000 nationwide, surpassing the administration’s original target.

While commending the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for upholding standards that have earned Nigerian nurses international recognition, Alausa stressed that the specific healthcare needs of the military warranted a dedicated institution.

He said the college was not being set up to compete with conventional universities but to make the Armed Forces self-sufficient in producing the healthcare professionals it requires, adding that every programme should be assessed on whether the Armed Forces genuinely need it, and if so, it should be prioritised.

He directed the Technical Working Group to prioritise programmes such as Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and other specialised disciplines that support the treatment and rehabilitation of personnel recovering from combat-related injuries.

He noted that the committee, made up of representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, National Universities Commission, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Nigerian Defence Academy and other key institutions, would be responsible for developing the academic curriculum, integrating military and academic training, coordinating accreditation, facilitating major academic appointments, and working with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to ensure academic activities begin successfully in the 2026 session.

The minister further disclosed that he had engaged the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to ensure the college is included on the admissions portal, and had directed the National Universities Commission to fast-track resource verification and accreditation.

Giving 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 is being modelled after the Uniformed Services University in the United States.

He explained that medical cadets would undergo integrated academic and military training from admission through graduation, gaining competencies in battlefield medicine, Tactical Combat Casualty Care and other specialised military medical skills.

He added that the college would be sited at the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, where existing infrastructure would support its immediate take-off.

He revealed that the Armed Forces currently face an estimated 93 per cent deficit in medical personnel, making the establishment of the college critical to ensuring a sustainable supply of doctors and other healthcare professionals for the military.

Alausa thanked the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence for their support, expressing confidence that the Technical Working Group would complete its assignment in time to admit the pioneer set of military medical cadets during the 2026 academic session.

The establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences aligns with the Tinubu administration’s broader reforms aimed at expanding medical education and tackling Nigeria’s shortage of healthcare professionals.

The federal government has significantly increased admissions into medicine, dentistry and nursing programmes through the accreditation of additional institutions.

The proposed military medical college is expected to complement these efforts by producing doctors, nurses and allied health professionals specifically trained to meet the operational, emergency and rehabilitation needs of the Nigerian Armed Forces, while strengthening the country’s overall defence healthcare system.