By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Haruna Mamman, has warned that the growing migration of Nigerian nurses abroad is threatening the country’s fragile healthcare system.
Mamman raised the alarm on Tuesday, 12 May, 2026 during the 2026 International Nurses Day celebration at the NANNM Conference Hall in Abuja, where he described the worsening exodus of healthcare professionals as a major challenge confronting healthcare delivery nationwide.
According to him, more than 57,000 Nigerian nurses have left the country within the last five years in search of better opportunities abroad, while about 16,000 migrated to the United Kingdom alone as of December 2025.
“It is on record that Nigerian nurses and midwives are among the best across the world,” Mamman said.
“Nigeria-trained nurses and midwives are migrating in droves to other countries in search of better lives.”
He further stressed that the development should trigger serious concern among government authorities and key stakeholders in the health sector.
“For the past five years, over 57,000 Nigerian nurses have left the country for different parts of the world in search of greener pastures. This should call for greater concern from both the Government and other stakeholders,” he stated.
Mamman attributed the rising migration to worsening welfare conditions and other persistent “push factors” within the country’s health sector.
According to him, poor remuneration, harsh working conditions, insecurity, limited career progression and inadequate job opportunities continue to force nurses out of Nigeria.
“Many nurses wish to stay and work in Nigeria, but the ‘push factors,’ which include poor remuneration, poor working conditions, kidnapping/insecurity, non-career progression, lack of job opportunities, among others, keep pushing them to leave the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has continued to grapple with a deepening healthcare workforce crisis as doctors, nurses and other medical professionals increasingly relocate to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Saudi Arabia in search of better welfare packages and safer work environments.
Consequently, the development has intensified pressure on the country’s overstretched health sector, particularly in rural and underserved communities where shortages of skilled healthcare workers have further weakened access to quality medical services.
Data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of the United Kingdom has consistently ranked Nigeria among the leading sources of foreign-trained nurses registering to practise in the UK.
Similarly, health experts have repeatedly warned that the continued loss of trained professionals could weaken healthcare delivery and increase the burden on the few workers left within the system.
Speaking on the theme of the 2026 International Nurses Day, “Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives,” Mamman said the celebration underscored the urgent need for governments to invest in nurses through improved welfare, safer workplaces and leadership opportunities.
“The theme highlights that for nurses to maximise their life-saving impact, they must have the authority and resources to deliver high-quality, person-centred primary care,” he noted.
He also emphasised the need for improved mental well-being, fair working conditions and continuous professional education for nurses across the country.
The NANNM president, therefore, urged the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to urgently address the factors driving healthcare professionals out of Nigeria, warning that failure to act could further endanger the nation’s healthcare delivery system.
“The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, therefore, uses this opportunity to call on the Government and other critical stakeholders to address all these issues,” he stated.
