Nigeria clips nurses’ wings
NIGERIAN nurse Temitope Ogundare has laid out a fastidious one-year plan to get himself a well-paid nursing job in Britain.
Saving half his monthly salary of 45 000 naira (US$30) — hard earned in a private clinic — he successfully financed the English language test needed to bolster his credentials.
He achieved the required score to get to the next stage of his job hunt.
But now the 25-year-old nurse says his plans are stuck in limbo due to strict new rules brought in by the Nigeria Nursing and Midwifery Council to ensure homegrown talent stays home.
Like many African, Caribbean and Asian nations with robust education systems and strong English language skills, Nigeria has a brain drain crisis as an army of nurses, doctors and carers is increasingly drawn to work overseas.
According to the nursing council, about 15 000 nurses left Nigeria last year to take up jobs abroad.
Since 2016, the percentage of African clinical staff working in the National Health Service in Britain has risen from 1,9% to 3,8% in 2023, with most from Nigeria.
The new regulations, which came into force this month, require applicants to foreign nursing boards clock up two years work experience in Nigeria and get letters of good standing from a current employer and a past training college.
Applicants must wait at least six months to get the documentation — a process that previously took a week.
The changes sparked protests by nurses who say the rules hold them back and open them to potential abuse by employers. “This a stumbling block to my career. I am stuck,” said Ogundare, a newly graduated nurse.
His current job pays less than US$30 a month — income that barely covers his food and journey to work; it doesn't even stretch to his rent.
Nigeria is in the grip of a severe cost-ofliving crisis with consumer inflation running close to 30% while the local currency has hit record lows and food prices have soared.
A typical starting salary for a Nigerian nurse ranges from US$18 — on par with the national average — to US$50 a month.
Widespread dissatisfaction among health professionals stems not just from the poor pay on offer, but also from the sector's limited career paths and its demanding conditions, leading many to move overseas where they can earn up to 10 times more.
Destinations of choice are Britain, Canada and the US, countries where entry-level nurses can earn from US$36 000 to US$55 000 a year.
Last year, 12 099 Nigerian-trained nurses were registered with Britain’s Nursing and Midwifery Council. Only the Philippines and India surpassed Nigeria as countries with more nurses working in Britain.
But Nigeria says the exodus is hurting its health system as home-trained nurses head to more affluent countries.
Faruk Abubakar, the registrar of the nursing council — the body that regulates nursing practice — said the new vetting rules are vital if Nigeria is to stem its brain drain.