The Federal Government has intensified efforts to strengthen healthcare services within the Nigerian Armed Forces. On Thursday in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) to fast-track the establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences ahead of the 2026 academic session.
Alausa said the proposed institution would create a sustainable pipeline of doctors, nurses and other specialised healthcare professionals trained specifically for the military’s operational needs. The move, he noted, would end the Armed Forces’ long-standing reliance on civilian universities for medical training and strengthen the country’s security architecture through a dedicated military medical workforce.
He described the initiative as a strategic investment in national security and human capital development, stressing that the college’s establishment marks the shift from policy approval to implementation following the Federal Government’s endorsement of the project.
“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 explained that the initiative complements the Federal Government’s broader expansion of medical education. He disclosed that annual admissions into Medicine and Dentistry have risen from about 5,000 before the current administration to 10,405 students, with a target of at least 20,000 admissions within the next two years through the accreditation of more colleges of medicine.
He further noted that annual enrolment into nursing programmes has increased from about 28,000 students to nearly 120,000 nationwide, surpassing the administration’s target.
Alausa commended the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria for maintaining standards that have earned Nigerian nurses global recognition, but stressed that the Armed Forces’ healthcare needs require a purpose-built institution dedicated to military medicine.
