The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has voiced serious concern over the growing incidence of nursing quackery in Lagos State, vowing to intensify efforts to eliminate illegal training and unauthorized practice in the profession.
Speaking at the Nurses Summit held in commemoration of International Midwives Day and International Nurses Week, the Lagos State Chairperson of NANNM, Christianah Adeboboye, stressed the urgent need to uphold the integrity of nursing practice. This year’s themes Midwives: Critical in All Crises” and “Our Nurses, Our Future: Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies” underscore the essential role nurses and midwives play in health systems, particularly during crises.
Adeboboye decried the alarming spread of unqualified individuals impersonating nurses, a trend she said threatens public safety and tarnishes the profession’s reputation.
“In Lagos, we have discovered that some of these impostors are being supported by certain health facilities and professionals,” she said. “Let me be clear NANNM Lagos maintains a zero-tolerance policy on quackery. We are working closely with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to crack down on illegal nursing schools and unauthorized practitioners.”
She called on government authorities and relevant stakeholders to partner with the association in safeguarding professional standards and protecting the public from unsafe care.
Adeboboye also drew attention to another growing crisis: the mass exodus of trained nurses. She revealed that over 15,000 Nigerian nurses have migrated abroad in the past two years, with Lagos contributing a substantial portion to that figure.
The NANNM chairperson urged the Lagos State Government to address administrative disparities affecting graduate nurses. She appealed for the regularisation of early-employed graduate nurses who currently find themselves junior to newly hired colleagues with the same qualifications, a situation she said has led to frustration, morale issues, and unnecessary resignations.
“We are witnessing a wave of false attrition nurses resigning not because they want to leave, but because of systemic frustrations,” she noted.
Adeboboye concluded by advocating for sustainable welfare packages and improved working conditions for nurses and midwives, stressing that better support systems are critical to job satisfaction, professional commitment, and workforce retention in the state’s healthcare system.
