Rhema University receives full accreditation for medicine and surgery from NUC, MDCN

Ogbonnaya Onwudike, a professor of Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry, is the vice chancellor of Rhema University, a faith-based university, in Aba

Rhema University Nigeria, a faith-based University in Aba, Abia State has received full accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to run a programme in Medicine and Surgery.

In an approval letter dated March 17, 2026 and addressed to the University’s Vice Chancellor, the MDCN stated in part “that by this approval, the College can now conduct the 5th (final) MBBS professional examination that will allow the medical students to graduate.”

The Council also urged the University to notify it of the examination schedule in good time so as to enable it to send observers.

Ogbonnaya Onwudike, vice chancellor of Rhema University, while addressing the press on the development, affirmed that with the approval, the University can now graduate medical doctors.

He noted that the approval from MDCN would end calls from parents, individuals, who wanted to know if the University has accreditation to run a programme in medicine and surgery.

“With joy we are happy to announce that our University has been fully accredited and people won’t be calling me to confirm if we are accredited to graduate medical doctors

“Now we have full accreditation from the National Universities Commission for medicine and surgery and also from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for medicine and surgery,” he said.

Onwudike, a professor of Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry, also stated that the University has received approval from the Radiographers Board of Nigeria to graduate students in Radiography.

“This was after the approval of the National Universities Commission came for a verification exercise for this programme and they gave us the go ahead with the programme on Radiography. But then, the Radiographers Board of Nigeria decided to also come for their own verification exercise.

“If we go on with the programme without their approval they won’t recognise anybody you graduate in Radiography. So, they came and we acknowledge that they have approved that we should go ahead with a programme on Radiography.

“We have approval from the NUC and now the Board has given us approval. And part of their letter said, following the evaluation of the report of the accreditation team, the board has given the University the mandate to proceed with the programme,” he said.

For the MBBS programme, he said that the exam would start on July 13, 2026 and that by the end of July, the University should be through with the exams and “by God’s grace turn out the first set of doctors from the University.”

He emphasised that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria would send about three invigilators to monitor the exams.

The University, according to Onwudike, has also a programme on Public Health, noting that the first set of students in that department are now in 200 level.

“For other courses, like Nursing for instance, we have full accreditation from the National Universities Commission and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

“For Medical Laboratory Science, we will be having accreditation this year, but for the NUC, we have got accreditation, but the board regulating the practice of Medical Laboratory Science will be coming for their own accreditation this year,” the VC said.

For other courses, the Rhema University Vice Chancellor said, “We have full accreditation for all of our other programmes, including Accounting, Banking and Finance, Mass Communication, Computer Science, Economics and Marketing.”