Federal Government has announced plans to establish a new military medical institution as part of efforts to address a nationwide shortage of doctors and strengthen healthcare support for the armed forces.
The proposed college, to be known as the Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences (AFCOM&HS), is expected to train military doctors and other health professionals while also contributing to the country’s wider medical workforce.
The decision was finalised at a high-level meeting involving the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmed, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, alongside other senior officials.
Officials say the college will operate within the framework of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in line with a federal moratorium on establishing new tertiary institutions. The move also follows directives from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Alausa highlighted the scale of Nigeria’s medical workforce deficit. With a population of more than 240 million people, the country faces an estimated shortfall of about 340,000 doctors. Within the Defence Forces alone, only 189 medical doctors are currently in service.
He said the government had already doubled annual medical school admissions from around 5,000 to nearly 10,000 students, with plans to increase that number to about 19,000 in the coming years. The new military medical college, he added, would form a key part of that expansion.
He explained that the institution is designed to produce combat casualty specialists, trauma surgeons, emergency response medics, military public health experts, and disaster and humanitarian response professionals.
Admissions into the college will be conducted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Graduates will be commissioned as captains in the Armed Forces upon completion of their training, combining medical qualifications with military leadership and operational readiness.
Clinical training will take place in accredited federal and military hospitals to ensure compliance with national and international standards.
To oversee implementation, a Technical Working Group has been set up, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Education and Defence, regulatory councils, the NDA, and other key institutions. The group is expected to finalise processes to allow the first set of admissions by October or November 2026.
Beyond meeting domestic needs, the government says the college could position Nigeria as a regional hub for military medical training in West Africa.
