Nurses in Lagos State, both from public and private hospitals, took to the streets on Monday to protest against new guidelines introduced for the verification of certificates.
Organized under the umbrella of the Naija Nurses Forum, the nurses expressed their dissatisfaction with what they perceived as oppressive measures and called on the Federal Government to reopen the verification portal without imposing additional conditions.
Their grievances stemmed from a memo issued by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) dated February 7, 2024, which outlined revised guidelines for the verification of certificates by nurses and midwives. According to the memo, eligible applicants must possess a minimum of two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practicing license.
The directive in the memo was addressed to various stakeholders, including state ministries of Health, medical centers, universities offering nursing programs, and nursing councils’ zonal offices. However, the nurses vehemently opposed these new verification guidelines and demanded that the council reverse them within 48 hours.
The protest took place along several streets in Lagos, starting from Harvey Road to UNILAG Road, and concluding at Neuropsychiatrist Hospital, Yaba.
Demonstrators were seen chanting slogans and carrying placards denouncing the new guidelines. Some of the placards bore messages such as “We no gree for NMCN free Nigeria Nurses,” “Nurses no be slaves No to a letter of good standing from anybody,” and “Let nurses breath, say no to NMCN verification rules.”
Speaking to reporters, the coordinator of the forum, Thomas Abiodun, described the new verification guidelines as a deliberate attempt to hinder nurses from seeking better opportunities. She condemned the directive as an infringement on nurses’ basic human rights and called for its immediate reversal.
Abiodun emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We are saying no to this, and we want the government to reverse this within 48 hours. We want them to revisit these guidelines; it is wrong and wicked.” The nurses vowed to continue their protests until their demands were met and the contentious guidelines were withdrawn.
