Posted on: Fri 06-03-2026

The Federal Government has clarified that a medical fellowship qualification is not equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, following widespread reports suggesting that both credentials had been placed on the same academic level.

The clarification was issued on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Education after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved an amendment to the Act governing the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College.

In a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the government said some sections of the media had misinterpreted the council’s decision, prompting the need for an official explanation.

According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, explained that the approval granted by the FEC under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu only permits the college to seek accreditation from the National Universities Commission to award PhD degrees in relevant medical and research disciplines.

Alausa emphasised that the decision was designed to expand the academic mandate of the institution and does not alter the status of medical fellowships.

“The approval granted by Council under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu enables the College to seek accreditation from the National Universities Commission to award Doctor of Philosophy degrees in relevant medical and research disciplines,” he said.

The minister noted that some reports had wrongly suggested that a PhD degree would replace or be considered equivalent to a medical fellowship.

“The development has been widely misinterpreted in some reports as suggesting that a PhD degree would replace or be considered equivalent to a medical fellowship. This interpretation is incorrect,” he said.

According to him, a medical fellowship remains a distinct and higher professional qualification required for specialist clinical practice. He explained that the fellowship is awarded to physicians who successfully complete rigorous residency training and other postgraduate medical education requirements.

He added that the FEC’s decision simply broadens the academic role of the college, allowing it—once accredited by the National Universities Commission—to run doctoral research programmes alongside its existing mandate of awarding fellowships to qualified physicians.

Under the proposed framework, doctors undergoing postgraduate medical training may also have the option of combining their fellowship programmes with a structured doctoral research pathway.

The ministry further explained that the reform introduces an additional academic pathway that complements the existing professional training structure rather than replacing it.

Officials said the initiative is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for advanced medical research and academic medicine while preserving the prestige and professional relevance of medical fellowships.

The government also stressed that the policy aligns with broader efforts to strengthen postgraduate medical education, expand opportunities for research and innovation, and bring Nigeria’s specialist training framework closer to international standards.

It reassured medical professionals, academic institutions and the public that the new arrangement would not diminish the value of medical fellowships.

Instead, the ministry said the move represents a strategic step aimed at deepening academic scholarship within Nigeria’s medical training system and improving the country’s competitiveness in global medical research and education.

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