Waiting game continues as Government Bureaucracy Stall Implementation of Centralised Internship Placement.
Abuja, Nigeria – 16 April 2026
The long-awaited centralised internship placement system for newly qualified nurses in Nigeria has still not begun, the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has confirmed.
Dr Ndagi Al-Hassan, RN, PhD, told hundreds of nurses at a Focusing on Young Nurses Initiative (FYNI) webinar on Thursday evening that although the policy was fully approved in October 2025, implementation is being held up by government bureaucracy and lack of funding.
“It will begin very soon as soon as the bureaucratic process are completed and funding is made available,” Dr Al-Hassan assured participants.
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He added that the NMCN itself will handle the first round of postings directly, after which the process will move to an official online portal. On the question of retrospective placement for graduates who have already waited one to three years, the Registrar said the Council could not yet give guarantees, as “a lot of factors will need to be considered.”
Years of Waiting for Young Nurses
Nigeria’s one-year nursing internship was formally approved in 2016, yet for nearly a decade the old decentralised system left thousands of graduates in limbo. Limited hospital slots, alleged corruption, and reliance on “connections” meant many waited years after graduation before starting their compulsory clinical training.
The centralised system was introduced in October 2025 precisely to end these problems. It was designed to bring transparency, fairness and merit-based allocation, similar to the NYSC model and to eliminate bribery and favouritism.
Despite repeated government reassurances earlier this year that modalities were in their final stage, today’s update shows the rollout has been stalled by the same bureaucratic and financial hurdles that have long frustrated the nursing profession.
Why This Matters
Nigeria already faces a severe shortage of skilled nurses. Delaying the start of internships means qualified professionals remain unable to register fully with the NMCN, blocking them from legal practice and contributing to the ongoing brain drain of health workers.
Young nurses who joined the FYNI webinar expressed cautious hope mixed with continued frustration. Many have spent months in some cases years, unemployed or in unrelated jobs while waiting for this single mandatory step in their careers.
Key Points from the Webinar
- Centralised internship system: fully approved in October 2025
- Implementation: delayed by government bureaucracy and funding
- First postings: to be handled directly by NMCN
- Later postings: via official portal
- Retrospective placement: not yet guaranteed.
The Webinar, which was attended by over 500 hundred nurses from across Nigeria is the latest of the webinar series by The Focus on Young Nurses Initiative, an organisation founded by an astute scholar and the Dean, Faculty of Nursing Sciences, university of Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria, Prof. Prisca Olabisi Adejumo.
Fellow Nurses Africa will continue to monitor the situation and report the moment the NMCN or Federal Government announces the activation of the centralised portal. Nurses are advised to watch official NMCN and FYNI channels for updates.
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Kehinde Oluwatosin is one of the many editors here at Fellow Nurses Africa and fellownurses.com.
He is a registered nurse with a Master of Science degree in healthcare leadership from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. Kehinde is passionate about advancing the nursing profession across Africa. As Co-Founder of Fellow Nurses Africa, he plays a key role in shaping editorial direction, ensuring our content educates, informs, and empowers nurses continent-wide.
With expertise in leadership, patient flow, and healthcare operations, Kehinde brings valuable insights to nursing news, career development, and policy discussions. He is committed to amplifying the voice of African nurses and driving positive change in the profession.
