An Associate Professor at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Dr. Bukola Bello, has identified poor remuneration, inadequate compensation, uncertain career progression, unfriendly working conditions, inadequate facilities, lack of government support, and threats to life and safety as major drivers of the increasing migration of nurses from Nigeria.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti during the 2025 Nurses’ Week organised by the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Ekiti State Chapter, Dr. Bello said Nigeria’s health sector would continue to deteriorate unless government adopts policies capable of addressing longstanding structural gaps in hospitals and other medical institutions.
She urged nurses to remain committed to professional development, noting that continuous self-improvement would strengthen their competence and command greater respect within the health system.
Declaring the event open, the Ekiti State Head of Service, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, reaffirmed government’s recognition of the critical role nurses play in patient care and assured that their demands were receiving attention.
The royal father of the day, the Oore of Moba, Oba Adekunle Adeagbo, described nursing as central to human development and called for greater respect and support for practitioners. He pledged his continued support to the association in the state.
In separate goodwill messages, the Director of Nursing Services at the Ekiti State Hospital Management Board, Mrs. Olayemi Falana; her counterpart at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, Dr. Olubunmi Adeniji; the Second National Vice President of NANNM, Comrade Sesan Orolu; and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour Matters, Comrade Kayode Fatomiluyi, encouraged nurses to uphold professionalism and maintain patient-friendly conduct in line with the ethics of the profession.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ekiti State, Pharm. Kolapo Olatunde, alongside Comrade Fatomiluyi, commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for prioritising workers’ welfare, noting that the administration had shown consistent concern for the needs of state employees.
However, the Chairman of NANNM in the state, Pastor Samuel Adegbuyi, called for urgent intervention to address the poor working conditions of nurses. He expressed disappointment that the Oyebanji-led administration had yet to meet the demands of nurses despite several formal communications and warned that the situation could trigger further migration and industrial unrest.
Adegbuyi said nurses in the state were grappling with numerous challenges that had continued to push many of them to seek opportunities within and outside the country.
