The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has inaugurated a Technical Working Group to fast-track the establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences, with a target to admit its first set of students in the 2026 academic session.

Alausa, who inaugurated the committee on Friday in Abuja, described the proposed institution as a strategic investment in national security and human capital development.

While noting that the Armed Forces require a dedicated system for producing healthcare professionals trained specifically for military service, the minister added that the college will end the military’s long-standing dependence on civilian universities for the training of doctors, nurses and other specialised health professionals.

He said: “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, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, explained that the inauguration of the Technical Working Group marks the transition from policy approval to implementation following the Federal Government’s approval for the establishment of the institution.

He stressed that the college is not intended to compete with conventional universities but to address the unique healthcare needs of military personnel.

“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.”

Alausa directed the committee to prioritise programmes critical to military healthcare, including Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Speech Therapy, rehabilitation sciences and other specialised disciplines needed to care for personnel recovering from combat-related injuries.

He disclosed that the committee would develop the academic curriculum, integrate military and academic training, coordinate accreditation, facilitate the appointment of academic staff and work with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to ensure the institution commences academic activities in the 2026 session.

The minister also revealed that discussions had already been held with the JAMB Registrar to include the college on the admissions portal, while the National Universities Commission (NUC) had been directed to fast-track resource verification and accreditation processes.

Highlighting the Federal Government’s broader efforts to expand medical education, Alausa said annual admissions into Medicine and Dentistry had increased from about 5,000 before the current administration to 10,405, with a target of raising the figure to at least 20,000 within the next two years through the accreditation of additional Colleges of Medicine.

He also said nursing education had witnessed significant growth, with annual enrolment rising from about 28,000 to nearly 120,000 nationwide.

According to him, the achievement exceeded the administration’s target and reflected the government’s determination to address the country’s healthcare workforce deficit.

Providing an update on the project, Chairman of the Technical Working Group and Director-General of the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme, Brig.-Gen. Dr Idris Solebo, said the proposed institution would adopt the model of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in the United States.

He explained that students would undergo integrated academic and military training from admission to graduation, equipping them with competencies in battlefield medicine, Tactical Combat Casualty Care and other military medical specialities.

“The proposed College is being developed using the successful model of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in the United States, where medical cadets undergo integrated academic and military training from admission through graduation,” Solebo said.

He added that the institution would be located around the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Lagos, where existing infrastructure would support its immediate take-off.

Solebo noted that the Armed Forces currently face shortages of medical personnel, making the establishment of a dedicated medical institution imperative to ensure a sustainable pipeline of healthcare professionals for military operations.

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