Fellow Nurses Africa Correspondent, August 15, 2025
In Nigeria’s public hospitals, nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare, tirelessly caring for patients while battling overwhelming odds. Low wages, crushing workloads, and unsafe conditions push these dedicated professionals to the brink, yet they carry on, often at great personal cost. This investigation by Fellow Nurses Africa shines a light on the daily struggles of Nigerian nurses, whose resilience is tested by a healthcare system strained by a mass exodus of talent.
Collapsing Under Pressure
In a hectic South-West hospital emergency ward, the air buzzes with urgency—beeping monitors, hurried footsteps, and the steady drip of IVs. For a 34-year-old nurse, a grueling shift in May 2025 became a personal crisis when she fainted while checking a patient’s vitals. Exhausted after 16 hours without food, her blood pressure and blood sugar crashed. Her colleagues, swamped with patients, could only spare a moment to help before rushing back to work. “It was scary, but we had no choice—patients needed us,” one said, her voice heavy with fatigue.
In Ondo, another nurse faced a similar ordeal in June 2025. Struggling with malaria and dehydration, he collapsed in an understaffed ward with no doctor on duty. Left unconscious on the floor, he waited over an hour for a team from a nearby area to arrive. “I was in pain, but the ward couldn’t pause,” he told Fellow Nurses Africa, his story a stark reminder of the sacrifices nurses make.
These aren’t isolated incidents—they’re glimpses into a crisis where nurses risk their health to keep Nigeria’s healthcare system afloat.
A System Drained by Departure
The loss of skilled nurses to better opportunities abroad is crippling Nigeria’s hospitals. Over the past five years, more than 75,000 nurses and midwives have left the country, chasing fair pay and safer workplaces. [Source: Nigerian Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2023]. In 2024 alone, 3,173 Nigerian nurses joined the UK’s nursing register, with over 13,000 now working there. [Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council UK, 2024]. This brain drain leaves wards desperately short-staffed, forcing nurses to handle far more patients than the World Health Organization’s recommended 1:4 ratio. In Nigeria, one nurse often cares for 30 to 50 patients per shift, especially in rural areas.
The shortage is worsened by a lack of supplies—nurses often buy gloves themselves or make do with inadequate tools. “We manage with what we have, but it’s never enough,” a senior nurse shared. “The system counts on us to keep going, no matter the cost.”
The Toll of Exhaustion
The relentless pace is draining. Nurses work 8- to 12-hour shifts, often staying longer without pay to cover gaps. In some hospitals, two nurses handle wards meant for six, juggling emergencies, wound care, and medication rounds without a break. A nurse in Lokoja sighed, “I’ve worked hours past my shift, unpaid, earning just ₦17,000 in allowances—while others get five times that for less.”
A psychiatrist warned, “This constant strain leads to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Over half of nurses globally face burnout, and Nigeria’s conditions make it worse". This exhaustion hurts patients, too, causing longer waits and lower-quality care.
Scraping By
With inflation eating away at their salaries, nurses struggle to survive. A 28-year-old ENT nurse in North-East Nigeria runs her hospital’s clinic alone, seeing up to 15 patients daily. After work, she sews clothes late into the night to pay her bills. “My salary’s gone in days; I’m fighting burnout and back pain,” she confided.
A single mother in Kogi is at her breaking point, unable to afford rent or school fees. “I might quit nursing—it can’t even support one person,” she said, her voice cracking. Meanwhile, nurses who’ve moved abroad, like one now in the UK, describe a better life: “I work less, earn more, and feel valued.” New opportunities, like 3,000 US nursing jobs announced in July 2025, keep drawing talent away.
A Cry for Change
In July 2025, nurses, led by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), launched a four-day strike, halting services in 74 federal hospitals. They demanded better pay, more staff, and a dedicated nursing department in the Ministry of Health. The strike ended on August 2 after the government promised to formalize a new career framework within weeks.
But many nurses remain skeptical. A regulatory official called these promises “empty talk,” pointing out that some states hire fewer than 100 nurses a year, leaving graduates jobless. “We train nurses, but they’re not hired. Rural clinics sit empty,” he told Fellow Nurses Africa. Social media echoes this doubt, with nurses questioning if change will come.
Steps Toward Hope
The government claims it’s taking action. A health official highlighted plans to double nursing school admissions, open 80 new training facilities, and launch a strategic plan by September 2025 to improve pay and workloads. “We’re committed to change,” she said.
Still, nurses are wary, with online posts lamenting their unrecognized sacrifices, especially during COVID-19 when they faced danger with little support.
The Heart of Healthcare
A community health expert called nurses the “backbone” of Nigeria’s system: “They’re the first to care, especially where doctors are scarce. Without them, everything falls apart.” [Source: Health Expert, 2025]. In rural areas, nurses are often the only lifeline, making their role vital.
Nigeria’s nurses show incredible strength, but they deserve more than admiration. Better pay, more staff, and safer workplaces are urgently needed to keep these heroes standing and to protect the nation’s health.
Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing, we educate, inform and support the nursing profession.
Fellow Nurses Africa © 2025
