•Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris
The federal government has moved to dispel widespread confusion surrounding the Federal Executive Council’s approval to amend the Act governing the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College, insisting that a Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., degree will not replace or be considered equivalent to medical fellowship in Nigeria.
In a statement issued last night, through its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Federal Ministry of Education said the decision of the Council, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, simply grants the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College the authority to seek accreditation from the National Universities Commission, NUC, to award Ph.D. degrees in relevant medical and research fields.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, explained that several reports across traditional and digital media had misrepresented the policy, creating the impression that the government intended to equate a Ph.D. with the prestigious medical fellowship qualification required for specialist clinical practice, reports NAN.
He stressed that medical fellowship remains a distinct and superior professional qualification in clinical medicine, earned only after physicians undergo rigorous residency training and meet other postgraduate medical education requirements for specialist certification.
According to the minister, the FEC approval merely broadens the academic mandate of the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College, which has historically been responsible for awarding fellowships to qualified physicians.
“With the new approval, the College will be able, subject to NUC accreditation, to offer Ph.D. programmes for candidates interested in pursuing advanced academic research alongside professional medical training,” Alausa said.
He explained that under the proposed framework, doctors undergoing postgraduate medical training may choose to integrate a structured doctoral research pathway into their fellowship programmes where appropriate.
The initiative, he noted, is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for high-level medical research, deepen academic medicine, and boost specialist knowledge development, while preserving the integrity and prestige attached to professional fellowships.
The ministry said the clarification became necessary following widespread misconceptions suggesting that the proposed Ph.D. programmes would place academic doctoral degrees on the same pedestal as professional fellowship qualifications.
Rather than replacing the fellowship structure, the reform introduces an additional academic pathway designed to complement specialist medical training.
