Medical fellowship not equivalent to PhD, FG clarifies

The Ministry of Education has clarified reports surrounding the Federal Executive Council’s decision on Wednesday to amend the Act governing the Nigerian Postgraduate Medical College, stating that the move does not equate a Doctor of Philosophy degree with a medical fellowship.

The clarification followed widespread reports suggesting that the government had approved medical fellowships as equivalent to PhD degrees.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the ministry said the decision had been widely misinterpreted in some sections of the media, prompting the need for clarification.

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

Alausa said the approval was meant to expand the academic mandate of the college rather than alter the status of medical fellowship qualifications.

“The approval granted by Council under the leadership of 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.

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

He said the council’s decision simply broadens the institution’s academic role, allowing it — once accredited by the National Universities Commission — to run doctoral research programmes in addition to its existing responsibility of awarding fellowships to qualified physicians.

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

In the statement, the minister clarified that “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 required 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.”

Officials say the arrangement is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for advanced medical research and academic medicine while preserving the integrity and prestige associated with professional medical fellowships.

The ministry explained that the clarification became necessary following misconceptions suggesting that a PhD qualification was being placed on the same level as a fellowship.

Instead, it said, “the reform introduces an additional academic pathway that complements the existing professional training structure.”

The ministry also stressed that 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 framework with international standards.

It reassured the public, medical professionals and academic institutions that the approval would not diminish the value or status of medical fellowships in the country.

Rather, 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.

Culled from punch