Nigerian practicing nursing or studying to become nurses in the United Kingdom and United States of America face deportation following the continued closure of the verification portal by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria since February 2024.
The portal was reportedly closed for routine maintenance but has remained closed for seven months, leading to the speculation that it might be a ploy to stop migration of skilled nurses out of the country.
Consequently, international bodies which need to verify the status of Nigerian nurses have been unable to do so with many of them becoming exasperated.
The Punch’s investigation also revealed that many healthcare workers are encountering hurdles in renewing their licences and meeting the regulatory requirements set by international bodies.
Many nurses of Nigerian descent who have been unable to pass through the verification process from the NMCN are now in violation of visa conditions and employment laws in their adopted countries.
If the situation persists, many of them may be sent back home unless they are able to find alternative means of remaining in their countries of sojourn.
The Punch’s investigation revealed that some have already been forced to return to Nigeria over the issue.
One of them in an interview with the publication revealed how he was thrilled to join the UK Trust, a prestigious healthcare organisation, to contribute his skills to the country’s medical community after moving from Nigeria in September 2023.
A few months down the line, he ran into stormy waters with the deactivation of the verification portal.
While he has completed a series of exams and navigated the complex process of document checks, he has not been able to get his pin as a registered nurse from the verification portal.
His appeal to NMCN for assistance has not yielded any positive result, as it turned out the deactivation of the portal was a policy issue.
He said the UK Trust, bound by its policies, terminated his employment due to his inability to meet the certification criteria.
“The situation is not only saddening but also suicidal. My career is stagnated because the portal is closed. I’m in Nigeria now. I have gone to the nursing council on several occasions to tell them that even if they should write a letter of good standing and send it to them, they would be happy to acknowledge it. But my efforts were futile.
“Meanwhile, the court case against the council regarding the verification process has been withdrawn, but the portal remains closed. This is a matter that has affected even many people who refused to speak up at that time. In the next few weeks, the number of nurses who will return to this country to either commit suicide or start afresh will be many,” he said.
Another Nigerian nurse based in the UK, who identified herself only as Ovie, said without completing her verification, she would be unable to become a registered nurse, lamenting that this had created uncertainty about her future.
“I am a registered nurse from Nigeria, and I moved to the UK in February this year to pursue a nursing top-up programme to become a UK-registered nurse. My initial plan was to complete my verification process while studying so that I could work as a part-time nurse to pay tuition fees and support myself.
“Unfortunately, just before I arrived, the NMCN suspended the verification for nurses, which has prevented me from pursuing my registration.
“What initially seemed like a temporary maintenance issue has turned into months of uncertainty, with no clear timeline for when the verification process will resume. This has made it challenging to navigate my studies, future career plans, and overall stay in the UK.
“The ongoing suspension of the verification process has significant implications for me. Without completing my verification, I am unable to become a registered nurse in the UK, which limits my employment opportunities and affects my ability to support myself financially. This has created uncertainty about my future as I approach the end of my studies,” she explained.
The nurse lamented that she risked deportation due to the delay in her verification.
She said, “My student visa will expire soon, and without the ability to work as a nurse, I am at risk of having to return to Nigeria or seek alternative means to remain in the UK.”
Another nurse, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of intimidation, said her passion for nursing led her to the UK, but the journey did not proceed as smoothly as she hoped. She is also faced with the same hurdle—closure of the verification portal.
The closure meant she could not schedule her CBT, and without it, she was stuck in limbo.
“I travelled to the UK last year (not as a registered nurse) and passed my English test this January. I have not been able to write a Computer-Based Test to proceed to other things due to the closure of the verification portal,” she said.
A nurse based in Saudi Arabia, identified as Hannah, said she travelled to the country in 2023 to practise as a nurse, but her future had become uncertain.
She told Saturday PUNCH that the weight of the situation was taking a toll on her.
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Michael Nnachi, in a conversation with the Punch said the group had engaged the government on several demands, including the reopening of the portal.
He noted that a committee was recently formed to review ongoing discussions.
He said, “If we don’t receive a positive response soon, I can’t predict what will happen next. I believe the message we are sending is that we have engaged the government. I can’t give an exact date, whether tomorrow or the day after, but I know there is hope. I prefer not to speak beyond what I am authorised to say.
“I would advise our affected members to remain patient. We are deeply concerned about the difficulties they are facing, and we are not comfortable with the situation. However, patience is necessary at this time. Finally, in many cases, even when agreements are reached with the government, they often fail to fulfil their promises. I remain hopeful and expect a positive response from the government. There is hope.”
The Deputy National President of the association, Abubakar Shehu, expressed displeasure over the delay in activating the verification portal.
He said, “There are lots of intricacies in the issue of this portal, and we are not happy, honestly speaking. We are not the only health professionals migrating from Nigeria to other countries. Doctors, pharmacists, and lab scientists are leaving, so why only nurses?
“We have held a series of meetings with the Registrar of NMCN; we went to the Ministry of Health and met with the Minister of Health. He was told that we are the critical stakeholders and they were supposed to have engaged us before even deciding to close the portal. You were meant to engage us so that we could sit down and discuss. We have a lot of nurses and midwives outside the labour market and they are not employed. You didn’t give somebody employment and you don’t want to allow the person to move to another place for greener pastures. It’s not done like that.”
Shehu, however, said the NMCN registrar recently promised that the portal would be opened soon.
“The registrar has assured us that the portal will be opened. So, we are waiting to see. He gave the assurance last week,” he added.
