Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Federal Government has clarified that a medical fellowship is not equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, following widespread reports suggesting otherwise.
The Federal Ministry of Education said the decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to amend the Act governing the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College had been misinterpreted in some sections of the media.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, explained that the approval does not equate medical fellowships with PhD degrees.
According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, said the approval granted by the FEC under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu merely allows the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College to seek accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to award PhD degrees in relevant medical and research disciplines.
Alausa said the decision was aimed at expanding the academic mandate of the college, not altering the status of medical fellowship qualifications.
“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.
He noted that some reports had suggested that a PhD would replace or be regarded as equivalent to a fellowship in medicine, describing such interpretations as incorrect.
“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,” Alausa stated.
The minister stressed that a medical fellowship remains a distinct and higher professional qualification for specialist clinical practice, awarded only after rigorous residency training and other postgraduate medical education requirements.
According to him, the FEC decision simply broadens the institution’s academic role, enabling it—once accredited by the NUC—to run doctoral research programmes alongside its existing responsibility 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.
Alausa reiterated: “Medical fellowship remains a distinct and higher professional qualification in clinical practice, awarded to physicians who have successfully completed rigorous residency training and other postgraduate medical education requirements for specialist practice.
“The decision of the Federal Executive Council simply expands the academic mandate of the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College.
“In addition to its long-standing responsibility of awarding professional fellowships to qualified physicians, the College will now be able — upon accreditation by the National Universities Commission — to offer PhD programmes for candidates who wish to pursue advanced academic research alongside their professional medical training.”
The ministry said the arrangement is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for advanced medical research and academic medicine while preserving the integrity and prestige of professional medical fellowships.
It added that the clarification became necessary following misconceptions that a PhD qualification was being placed on the same level as a fellowship.
Rather, the reform introduces an additional academic pathway that complements the existing professional training structure.
The ministry further said the policy reflects the Federal Government’s effort to strengthen postgraduate medical education, expand opportunities for research and innovation, and align Nigeria’s specialist training system with global standards.
It reassured medical professionals, academic institutions and the public that the approval does not diminish the value or status of medical fellowships.
Instead, the government said the move represents a strategic step to deepen academic scholarship in Nigeria’s medical training system and enhance the country’s competitiveness in global medical research and education.
