Obi Calls For Verification Of Nursing Graduates In Nigeria

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has called for the relaxation of the rules for the verification and certification of nurses and midwives by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts globally.
He also said the country can only get out of its economic doldrums if the government invests more in health, education and human capital.
Mr. Obi, who made the assertions when he visited St. Philomena Midwifery and Nursing School in Benin City, Edo State, said countries that are said to have been developed lend their credence to the three major areas.
“It has been shown clearly, the three most critical measurements of development, is very simple, health, because that is where you have life expectancy. The more healthy people are the more productive they are. That is why they said ‘health is wealth.’
“Two is education; three is human capital, which is pulling people out of poverty. If you get these three things right, you become developed.
“So, the more you invest in these three, the more developed you are. When we talk about governance, it is something that is as simple as ABC. You either invest in the critical areas that drive development or you are not.
“So, today’s issue is because, we are lacking in investment in health, we are lacking in investment in education and we are not pulling our people out of poverty. When these three things are missing, we have a crisis,” Obi said.
Mr. Obi who gave a donation of N10 million to the school as part of his contribution towards the health sector, lamented the non verification of the profession by the authority concerned and which has become a major concern in the association.
He said, “With all due respect to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, it is a competitive licensing and verification of these young ones we are looking for.
“We are looking for a proper authorization to be able to work anywhere, globally irrespective of the population, we can train them.
“All the government needs to do, if they think we have issue of brain drain, is to invest in them. We can do more investments, we can train them and give them opportunity to be able to work in anywhere in the world.
“These kids need employment to earn good living to be able to support their families. We will help them to do that. That is why I am appealing that this verification exercise to be given to them.”
Obi who said, he has visited 18 facilities in the country where he has made some financial contributions, said he had other areas to go to make some financial commitment, added that all hands must be on deck to rescue the country.
The Administrator of the St. Philomena Hospital and School, Rev. Fr. Jerome Idebe, extolled Mr. Obi for his donation to the school, promising that the money would be carefully put to use.