Nurses abandon Nigeria: 15,000 nurses flee, patients pay the price

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has urged the Federal Government to address nurses’ ongoing mass migration.

The association made this appeal at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on 10th April 2025 in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

It warned that efforts to expand nursing education without addressing core systemic problems may worsen the nation’s healthcare crisis.

The group described the rising trend of nurse emigration, popularly called Japa, as alarming and deeply troubling to national healthcare delivery.

NANNM revealed that over 15,000 Nigerian nurses left the country between February 2024 and February 2025.

According to the association, the mass exit is caused by poor working conditions and absence of professional motivation and infrastructure.

President of the association, Comrade Haruna Mamman, described the manpower shortage as a looming disaster needing urgent government attention.

He noted that increased intake of nursing students alone cannot stop the worsening situation across hospitals and health institutions.

Mamman stressed that health facilities must be equipped and made conducive for professional practice if brain drain is to end.

He added that better remuneration, improved welfare, and implementation of agreed schemes will boost nurses’ morale and retention.

The President also called for decentralised and functional State Nursing and Midwifery Councils to combat growing quackery in healthcare.

He said engaging national and sub-national governments will be key to resolving the lingering human resource crisis in the health sector.

Speaking at the event, NANNM General Secretary, Comrade Thomas Shettima, faulted the Federal Government’s current approach to tackling the crisis.

He said that simply producing more health workers without a plan for employment is a recipe for disaster and medical risks.

“When trained people stay idle, they often practice unofficially, posing a risk to public health,” Shettima warned.

He attributed the persistent migration of nurses to poor remuneration, outdated allowances, and general neglect of the profession.

Shettima lamented that many core allowances have not been reviewed in over 30 years, leading to low morale and frustration.

“Professionals are not leaving for pleasure, they’re leaving out of necessity,” he added during his address.

He stated that establishing more nursing schools without system reforms won’t solve the real issues facing the sector.

Shettima noted that the Scheme of Service approved since 2016 is yet to be implemented by the relevant authorities.

He disclosed that discussions are ongoing with the Minister of Health and Head of Civil Service to fast-track implementation.

The association also called for centralised internship postings and enforcement of industrial court judgments previously ruled in their favour.

NANNM warned that unchecked proliferation of nursing schools may compromise the quality of training and professionalism in the long term.

Chairman of Oyo State NANNM, Comrade Samuel Adeyemi, also criticised existing inequalities in Nigeria’s healthcare workforce structure.

He said nurses remain the only professionals without a distinct salary structure or comprehensive benefit allowance from the government.

Adeyemi revealed that nurses receive only 1.7 per cent shift duty allowance, while doctors and pharmacists get 4 and 2 per cent.

“Our call duty allowance has remained the same for 40 years,” he lamented.

He stressed that retirement age issues are also neglected, further frustrating committed nurses across the federation.

“We care for lives daily, yet government continues to fail us,” Adeyemi concluded.

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