By Lucy Adautin
Nurses in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Monday protested against the new guidelines for requesting verification of certificates for nurses and midwives released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Abuja chapter, expressed anger over what they perceived as an attempt to limit the career opportunities for nurses.
The nurses demanded that the council address the shortage of nursing staff, salary scale and nurses welfare, the protest took place outside the NMCN’s office in Abuja.
On February 7, 2024, The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria announced the revised guidelines and requirements for individuals applying for certificate verification with foreign nursing boards/councils.
The circular signed by the Registrar of the council, Dr Faruk Abubakar, read in part, “A non-refundable fee per application shall be paid for verification to foreign boards of nursing as specified on the portal. This shall cover the cost of courier services to the applicant’s institution(s) of training, place of work, and foreign board.
“Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years post qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practising licence. Any application with a provisional licence shall be rejected outright.
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“The council shall request a letter of good standing from the chief executive officer of the applicant’s place(s) of work and the last nursing training institution attended and responses on these shall be addressed directly to the Registrar/CEO, NMCN. Please note that the council shall not accept such letter(s) through the applicant.”
The council also stated that applicants must have active practising licences with a minimum of six months to the expiration date, and processing of verification applications would take a minimum of six months.
