Japa: Nigerian nurses practising in UK hit over 16,000

File: Nurses

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No fewer than 16,156 Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives have been licensed to practise in the United Kingdom between 2017 and September 30, 2025, The PUNCH reports.

This figure is based on the latest data from the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council register, obtained exclusively by our correspondent on Wednesday.

The figure highlights a significant trend in the brain drain of the healthcare workforce trained in Nigeria, a trend now known as japa, seeing skilled professionals leaving for countries that offer better remuneration, career advancement, and working conditions.

The migration of healthcare workers poses a serious challenge to Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in underserved areas, and underscores the need for urgent policies to retain healthcare workers and strengthen domestic capacity.

The NMC is the regulatory body in the UK responsible for registering qualified professionals and investigating concerns related to nurses, midwives, and nursing associates.

In an email correspondence with our correspondent, the NMC stated, “As on 30 September 2025, there were 16,156 nurses on the register who were educated in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, as of March 31, 2025, the number of Nigerian-trained nurses was 15,421, representing a 4.8 per cent rise over the six months.

The report released in March showed that Nigeria ranked as the third-highest source of foreign-trained nurses in the UK, behind the Philippines and India.

It also noted that a decline in international recruitment was observed across countries, including the top three: India, the Philippines, and Nigeria.

The report added that while the number of UK-educated professionals joining the NMC register has continued to increase, the pace has been too slow to compensate for the drop in international recruitment. As a result, overall register growth has slowed in the past year.

Also, the 2025 Nigeria Health Statistics report, released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in November, showed that a total of 43,221 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and medical laboratory scientists left the country between 2023 and 2024.

The report revealed that as of 2024, over 23,000 Nigerian nurses and midwives migrated abroad in search of better employment opportunities and improved working conditions.

The preferred destinations for the nurses and midwives were the United States (8,613), the United Kingdom (7,463), Canada (5,603), Saudi Arabia (1,231), and Ireland (989).

According to the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, “Our Doctor-to-Population Ratio is 1:5,000 (against the WHO recommendation of 1:600), while Nurse-to-Population Ratio is as low as 1:2,000 (against the WHO recommendation of 1:300).

Salako, however, said the government remained committed to addressing these gaps by strengthening primary healthcare systems, expanding the Health Workforce Registry, increasing the training quota for health professionals, and implementing retention policies to mitigate migration.

The PUNCH journalist, Lara, has over 10 years experience covering health, environment and CSOs

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