Dear Editor,
The continuous migration of nurses and midwives from Nigeria is creating a severe workforce shortage in the healthcare system. Over the last five years, more than 75,000 Nigerian nurses and midwives have migrated to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia (National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, 2023). In 2023 alone, more than 15,000 nurses departed (Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, 2024). Recent data indicate that approximately 42,000 nurses migrated from Nigeria between 2022 and 2024, representing a significant percentage of the nursing workforce, with an estimated shortfall of thousands of vacant clinical positions nationwide (Samuel & Haruna, 2025).
This trend puts huge pressure on the available personnel and risks diminishing the quality of care, particularly in maternal and reproductive health, an area where Nigeria is already witnessing some of the highest levels of maternal deaths globally (Dogbanya, 2025). The workload is also heightened by the poor working conditions.
The Nigerian government has responded by enormously increasing nursing school enrollment from 28,000 in 2023 to an estimated 115,000 in 2025 (Premium Times Nigeria, 2025). However, such actions do not go far enough to stem chronic brain drain. More fundamental structural problems, such as low salaries, insecure workplaces, and limited career advancement, continue to push nurses abroad (Bomade, 2024; Olorunfemi et al., 2024).
Holistic measures must be taken to address such root causes. Timely and competitive remuneration are vital in increasing economic incentives, as seen in nurse retention in South Africa and the Philippines. For South Africa, improved remuneration, training and development, leadership, improved working conditions, and work–life balance have been linked with increased nurse retention (Mpanza, 2022; Pillay et al., 2022). In the same way, the Philippines has enacted measures to mitigate burnout, improve nurse-patient ratios, offer counseling, and support ongoing professional development, and these have been seen to positively impact nurse retention (Alibudbud, 2023; Norh, 2024). The government and stakeholders in healthcare must work together to put these reforms into effect through budget realignment, policy enforcement, and collaboration with nursing groups.
Prompt action is necessary. Sustained nursing workforce shortages could negatively impact Nigeria's progress toward achieving universal health coverage and weaken the healthcare system's resilience, particularly in women's health. Protecting the nursing workforce, which forms the backbone of healthcare delivery, must be a strategic priority.
Comprehensive and well-implemented reforms are urgently needed to reverse this trend and secure Nigeria’s healthcare future.
Footnotes
ORCID iDs: Dolapo Emmanuel Ajala https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-0230
Rafiat Omotayo Ishola https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3203-9221
Taiwo Omotayo Dosumu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-4154
Titilope Abisola Awotunde https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4812-3889
Eunice Oluwakemi Ogunmodede https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7292-8428
Author Contributions: Conceptualization and initial manuscript by Dolapo Emmanuel Ajala, Rafiat Omotayo Ishola, and Taiwo Omotayo Dosumu provided the necessary corrections to the initial manuscript, while Titilope Abisola Awotunde and Eunice Oluwakemi Ogunmodede provided supervision. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
- Alibudbud R. (2023). Addressing the burnout and shortage of nurses in the Philippines. SAGE Open Nursing, 9, 23779608231195737. 10.1177/23779608231195737 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bomade F. (2024). Factors impacting the recruitment and retention of nurses in Nigeria: Systematic review. African Journal of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, 7(3), 30–50. 10.52589/AJHNM-6E05AYKL [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- Dogbanya G. (2025). Maternal mortality in Nigeria: Holding the line in uncertain times. Annals of Global Health, 91(1), 16. 10.5334/aogh.4710 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mpanza T. (2022). Effectiveness of nursing employee retention strategies and performance of organisations in the private healthcare sector (Master’s thesis, University of the Free State). University of the Free State. http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12171 [Google Scholar]
- National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives . (2023). Over 75,000 nurses, midwives left Nigeria in five years – NANNM. https://nannm.com.ng/2023/05/14/over-75000-nurses-midwives-left-nigeria-in-five-years-nannm/
- Norh S. B. D. (2024). Enhancing nurse retention in private hospitals in the new normal: A comprehensive approach for post-pandemic healthcare stability. Davao Research Journal, 15(4), 149–160. 10.59120/drj.v15i4.285 [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria . (2024). Over 15,000 nurses left Nigeria in 2023 – Nursing Council. https://guardian.ng/news/over-15000-nurses-left-nigeria-in-2023-nursing-council/
- Olorunfemi O., Oyinloye M. A., Peace T. O., Abosede A. O., Oluwaseun O. D., Funmilola O. M. (2024). Effective strategies to address “Japa syndrome” among Nigerian nurses for better workforce retention. Journal of Nursing Science and Professional Practice, 1(4), 146–151. 10.4103/JNSPP.JNSPP_31_24 [DOI] [Google Scholar]
- Pillay Z., Kerr J., Ramukumba M. (2022). Nurse managers’ views of measures to improve nurse retention at a selected hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 24(1), 14. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-ajnm-v24-n1-a12 https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-5293/9022 [Google Scholar]
- Premium Times Nigeria . (2025). Nigerian govt increases annual nursing enrollment to 115,000 amid health sector reforms. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/791044-nigerian-govt-increases-annual-nursing-enrollment-to-115000-amid-health-sector-reforms.html
- Samuel G., Haruna J. J. (2025). Analyzing the brain drain of Nigerian nurses to the United Kingdom: A narrative review of challenges and efforts to address the phenomenon. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 26(3), 177–187. 10.1177/15271544251325483 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]