The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) on Thursday, September 17, 2026, held its 44th Convocation Ceremony at the College Auditorium, Ijanikin, Lagos, conferring Fellowship degrees on new specialists and honouring past leaders of the College.
In his address, the President of the College congratulated the new Fellows for their resilience in completing their training despite the dual pressures of being full-time specialist trainees and frontline healthcare providers. He said the rigorous work culture, worsened by the exodus of doctors from the country in search of better practice and remuneration, has left remaining resident doctors overworked and adversely compromised their mentorship, exposing them to burnout.
He noted that while the exodus may not be completely averted, its impact could be alleviated through workload restructuring and workforce strengthening by implementing a 1-to-1 replacement policy for doctors who emigrate, increasing residents’ enrollment, and providing psychological support for those in training.
The President also celebrated past College leadership and other senior Fellows who have contributed significantly to the growth of the College despite multifaceted challenges. He announced their honour as Distinguished Fellows of the College for landmark contributions to medical practice, education, administration and College development, describing the recognition as an affirmation of exceptional achievements and profound positive impact on postgraduate medical education. Families and friends of the convoking Fellows were also commended for their unwavering support, patience and sacrifices.
He disclosed that as part of efforts to boost visibility, the College commenced bimonthly online lectures in March 2026 with the Faculty of Anaesthesia presenting the maiden edition. The lecture series, which will rotate among Faculties, is expected to enhance health promotion, engage the academic community, promote professional development and provide opportunity for Fellows to network and collaborate across specialties. He urged Fellows to cite their Faculties and the College, including personal College email addresses, as affiliation when publishing vetted dissertations and theses, noting that the practice would enhance the College’s standing in academic rankings and boost its publication counts.
On examinations, the President recalled that Senate in November 2020 approved evidence-based standard setting methods for determining cut scores, with a Quality Assurance checklist developed to ensure compliance across Faculties. The QA process was applied during the March/April/May 2026 examinations to ensure transparency and fairness, with a trophy to be awarded to compliant Faculties. He said inconsistencies in grading could damage the College’s reputation and Nigeria’s image in postgraduate medical training, and that the QA process would drive professional competence, standardize clinical skills and provide a benchmark for accreditation.
He further announced that in compliance with the mandate of the College Senate, the College has applied to the National Universities Commission to run a Doctor of Philosophy programme for clinicians as a pre-Fellowship degree alongside the existing Doctor of Medicine degree. The MD programme, operational since 2020, has produced about 473 graduates, with over 55 more receiving the degree at the 2026 convocation. Both degrees are approved by NUC and will run independently.
On training reforms, the President said the College desires to align with best global practice through digital education, including competency-based work-based assessment, electronic portfolio and telemedicine. He explained that competency-based assessments would use video reviews of clinical encounters, while web-based portfolio platforms would track Residents’ milestones through real-time documentation, automated reporting and feedback. He acknowledged challenges such as poorly designed software and resistance among older or overworked staff, assuring that the College would address them before full implementation to ensure graduates remain globally competitive.
He also addressed training in the era of Artificial Intelligence, stating that effective training would rely on the Miller Pyramid framework which requires trainees to perform independently before certification. The College, he said, is migrating from traditional logbooks to objective work-based assessment to monitor training and strengthen independence, noting that while AI-generated information is useful, over-reliance could be risky due to algorithm bias.
The President raised concerns over the funding of postgraduate medical examinations, currently sustained only by examination fees. He said logistics, examination materials, examiners’ allowances, simulators, information technology support, accommodation and transportation costs have risen sharply, placing enormous pressure on the College’s finances beyond candidates’ fees, leading to a huge deficit after the last examination and delay in settling entitlements of some examiners. With the implementation of new Duty Tour Allowance rates effective from October 1, 2026, he respectfully sought the intervention and support of the Federal Government to maintain the critical national responsibility.
He reiterated the need for establishment of clinical and simulation laboratories in the College and designated places such as Kano, Enugu and Abuja, which is yet to be implemented. He thanked the Federal Government for efforts to establish undergraduate simulation laboratories and requested that funding be expanded to postgraduate training, noting that Faculties have already identified their core high-fidelity manikin needs. He also thanked the Faculty of Ophthalmology for the purchase of Eyesi high-fidelity simulation equipment, the first of its kind in West Africa, domiciled at the Guinness Eye Centre at Lagos University Teaching Hospital through a donation by Dr Tunji Olowolafe.
The College, he said, will continue collaborations with other institutions and postgraduate medical Colleges with shared vision, citing functional alliances in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Pathology, and ongoing engagement with the African Medical Centre of Excellence, a tertiary multi-specialty institution developed by Afreximbank in collaboration with King’s College Hospital, London.
He added that the guideline for awarding merit-based Fellowship to deserving Nigerian specialists in the diaspora has been developed and approved by College Senate, with its inaugural award held during the 2025 Convocation. More distinguished Nigerian medical scholars and experts in the diaspora were identified for conferment at this year’s ceremony to bring advanced skills home. He announced the birth of a new Faculty, the Faculty of Radiation and Clinical Oncology, the 17th Faculty sprouted from the parent Faculty of Radiology, which will be graduating its foundation Fellows by examination during the convocation.
In his concluding remarks, he reminded Fellows to uphold uncompromising integrity, compassion and professionalism, pursue lifelong learning, abide by professional ethics, participate in annual conferences and actively mentor Residents. He thanked the Federal Government and Federal Ministry of Health for funding Residency training through the Medical Residency Training Fund, Principal Officers of the College especially the Registrar Prof. T. A. Esan, Faculty leadership, Senate and Ceremonies Committee chaired by Prof. E. A. Jeje, Faculty assessors, donors and Dr Adepitan Owosho in the United States for establishing an annual $1,500 scholarship prize for best quality Part 2 Proposal in Dental Surgery.
