Nigerian Nurses Risks Deportation As Certificate Verification Portal Remains Closed
Hundreds of Nigerian nurses are currently stranded abroad due to the ongoing closure of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) portal, which is essential for verifying their certificates.
Reports indicate that numerous nurses are already facing difficulties in various countries, with some at risk of deportation.
Nursing boards in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom have ceased accepting certificates from Nigerian nurses, citing an inability to verify their authenticity.
The National Assembly has twice called on the NMCN to reopen its portal and resume the verification process under the previous guidelines until the House Committee on Health Institutions completes its investigation. However, the council has not yet complied with the House’s resolution.
A recent directive, dated August 13, 2024, and titled “Negative Portrayal of the House’s Resolution,” was signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sani Magaji Tambuwal, and addressed to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
This followed a motion raised by Hon. Patrick Umoh, highlighting the urgent need to protect institutional integrity and clarify any misinterpretations of the House’s earlier resolution.
The House had previously, on February 26, 2024, urged the NMCN not to implement the revised guidelines for certificate verification, introduced on February 7, 2023, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
Concerns had been raised by stakeholders in the health sector about the new guidelines, which they argued could impede the professional progress of nurses by subjecting it to external determinations.