A group of nurses has taken legal action against the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) and the Minister of Health, among others, challenging the recent revisions to certificate verification guidelines.
The dispute arises from a circular issued by the NMCN on February 7, 2024, which introduced new guidelines for certificate verification for nurses and midwives.
According to the revised guidelines, applicants seeking verification of certificates from foreign nursing boards must have two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of their permanent practising license. These guidelines took effect on March 1, 2024.
Recommended reading: Nigerian nurses must work for 2 years post qualification before they can practice abroad”- NMC
The lawsuit
In response to the changes, nurses in Abuja and Lagos staged protests demanding the reversal of the new guidelines.
- However, dissatisfied nurses have escalated the matter by filing a lawsuit against the Registrar of the NMCN, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Attorney General of the Federation before the National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja.
- The complainants, represented by Desmond Aigbe, Kelvin Ossai, Catherine Olatunji-Kuyoro, Tamunoibi Berry, Osemwengie Osagie, Abiola Olaniyan, Idowu Olabode, and Olumide Olurankinse, are seeking court intervention to halt the implementation of the NMCN circular pending the resolution of the suit.
- Among the reliefs sought by the nurses are orders restraining the defendants from implementing the new guidelines and mandating the continuation of certificate verification processes within a specified timeframe.
During the proceedings on Wednesday, counsel for the complainants, Ode Evans, informed the court of receiving a preliminary objection from the first and second defendants moments before the session. He requested an adjournment to respond to the objection.
In response, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae adjourned the matter till May 20 for a hearing, directing that the Federal Ministry of Health and the Attorney General of the Federation be served with the hearing notice, as they were not represented in court.
Recommended reading: Nurses protest new certification guidelines by NMCN, demanding welfare reforms
Instead of NMCN to help in increasing our wages so that we can remain in Nigeria, they want to enforce ridiculous changes to hold one bound, it’s not practicable
LOL…NMCN will raise nurses wages in the World Capital of Extreme Poverty to compete with, or even surpass, wages paid in the US, UK, Canada, etc.
Nigeria should NOT be effectively subsidizing the world’s wealthiest nations by charging among the world’s CHEAPEST (if not the world’s) tuition fees to train folks who will immediately run off and go service the world’s wealthiest nations while the Nigerian taxpayers who funded such subsidized education suffer neglect.
WE SHOULDN’T BE SOCIALIZING COSTS BUT PRIVATIZING BENEFITS1 If folks want a “free” market, we should go all the way and charge free market fees (covering the entire cost of tertiary education, including better pay for long-suffering lecturers). Even nearby Ghana charges multiples of what Nigeria charges.
Alternatively, the government could charge free market tuition fees and provide loans to cover same but forgive about 20% of the loan for every year a nurse (or other medics) works in Nigeria, which means they’re “free” to work for 5 years in Nigeria post-graduation debt-free or japa and bear the cost of their training.