The NMCN portal is a critical platform for nurses practising in Nigeria to get registered and be verified as qualified medical practitioners.
Hundreds of Nigerian nurses are currently stranded due to the continued closure of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) portal.
It was learned that the leadership of the NMCN closed the portal in February 2024 and this has brought the verification process for new nurses to a grinding halt, leaving many in limbo.
The NMCN portal is a critical platform for nurses practising in Nigeria to get registered and be verified as qualified medical practitioners.
The issue started on December 22, 2023 when the Registrar of NMCN ordered the immediate closure of the portal without providing any justification.
“I am directed to by the Registrar/CEO, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to inform you to close the verification application portal by 4.00pm today being 22 December, 2023.
“Please note that notice for re-opening of the verification portal will be communicated to you in due course,” a press statement issued to that effect read.
The Nigerian Nursing Council’s online portal was reopened on February 7, 2024, following widespread outrage from affected nurses and intervention by the Ministry of Health.
In an unexpected turn of events, the NMCN authorities suspended the portal’s operations once more on February 27, 2024, attributing their decision to a directive from the House of Representatives. The future reopening date of the portal remains uncertain.
Media gathered that the closure of the portal has left many nurses frustrated and uncertain about their future plans.
As it stands, nurses, particularly new graduates, cannot work as professionals abroad because employers cannot verify their credentials due to the portal closure.
“Nigerian nurses are unable to travel out because NMCN portal is closed and new nurses can’t be verified. It’s from the same page that you will request for verification of your licence if you need to work or study overseas.
“So, nurses in Nigeria, both old and new cannot seek international education/work that requires verification,” one of the affected nurses revealed.
Another nurse said: “I know a man who had a job offer in Alberta, they took their offer back because he couldn’t verify his licence that he is truly a nurse (due to the portal closure).
“What it even means is you cannot verify that a nurse is not a quack in Nigeria as we speak.
“If you go on the UK NMC website, you can type in a nurse’s name and you will immediately see if they are registered or not, that’s verification in one word. If I need to work in Australia, I need to verify with the Australia board that I am a nurse, I just log in to my NMC page and download the verification document. Simple.”
“But Nigeria is now using the closure to restrict people from seeking employment or grant or work,” the nurse added.
Despite numerous attempts by media to reach Dr. Faruk Abubakar, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), for his comments, he remained unavailable. Repeated phone calls went unanswered, and messages sent via SMS and WhatsApp have yet to receive a response.