Japa Syndrome: NANNM raises alarm as 15,000 nurses leave Nigeria

The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has raised concerns over the worsening shortage of manpower in the nation’s health sector, urging all tiers of government and relevant stakeholders to take immediate action to improve the morale and welfare of nurses.

Speaking at the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, the President, Comrade Haruna Mamman, expressed deep concern over the persistent challenges facing the profession. He disclosed that as of February 2025, over 15,000 nurses had left Nigeria in the current year alone.

“Many of our allowances have not been reviewed in over three decades. Nurses and midwives are not leaving by choice, but out of sheer necessity,” he lamented.

Comrade Mamman outlined several structural issues requiring urgent government intervention, including the need for a conducive working environment, fully equipped health facilities, improved welfare through enhanced remuneration, and a streamlined, centralised internship programme for nurses.

The General Secretary of NANNM, Comrade Thomas Shettima, noted that expanding nursing education alone is not the solution to stem the tide of mass migration among health workers. He stressed the importance of implementing the Nurses’ Scheme of Service, which was approved by the National Council on Establishments in 2016.

“When people are trained but remain unemployed, they linger in society with medical knowledge and are often compelled to practice unofficially to survive. This presents a serious risk to public health,” he warned.

“Establishing 1,000 nursing schools in every state will not stop the exodus. What we need is a functional healthcare system and improved working conditions,” Shettima added.

He also cautioned that the unregulated proliferation of nursing schools could lead to a decline in training quality and professional standards.

Ifeoma Nwovu