BREAKING NEWS: N&MCN Releases September 2026 Midwifery Professional Examination Results with 84% Rate
FNA News analysis | Abuja | 14 September 2026
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has released the results of the September 2026 Professional Examination in Midwifery.
The Council said 9,544 candidates passed. That is an overall pass rate of 84%.
The results were approved by the NMCN Board at its 63rd General Meeting in September 2026. Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Ndagi Alhassan announced the decision in an official circular dated 14 September 2026.
Institutional results will be available online from Thursday, 17 September 2026.
Key results at a glance
| Programme | Successful candidates | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Post Basic Midwifery | 3,133 | 97% |
| Basic Midwifery | 5,446 | 80% |
| Community Midwifery | 965 | 74% |
| All programmes | 9,544 | 84% |
Post Basic Midwifery recorded the strongest result. Community Midwifery recorded the weakest.
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What the figures show
This is a solid national result. It is not a record.
In March 2026, the Council reported 9,984 successful midwifery candidates and an 86% overall pass rate. Post Basic Midwifery then stood at 96%, Basic Midwifery at 83%, and Community Midwifery at 73%.
Compared with that sitting, the September cohort produced fewer successful candidates and a slightly lower overall pass rate. Basic Midwifery slipped from 83% to 80%. Post Basic Midwifery improved from 96% to 97%. Community Midwifery rose from 73% to 74%.
The longer trend is more encouraging. In September 2025, the Council reported a 74% overall pass rate, with Basic Midwifery at only 55%. The 2026 results show a clearer recovery in the basic pathway.
The pattern still matters. Most new midwives enter practice through the Basic programme. Community midwives are the group most likely to work closest to rural births. That pathway remains the weakest of the three.
Why these results matter beyond the exam hall
Nigeria still faces a midwife shortage and a high maternal death burden. The Federal Government and the World Health Organization have both said the country needs more midwives, better deployment and stronger retention, especially outside major cities.
Passing the professional examination is only the first public safeguard. A candidate is not licensed to practise until registration and first licensing are completed on the Council portal. Delayed registration leaves a gap between training and legal practice. That gap helps neither the graduate nor the health system.
The Council’s own message is consistent with that duty. It congratulated successful candidates and restated its mandate to promote excellence in nursing education and practice.
How institutions should check results
Heads of nursing and midwifery training institutions should check their school results from Thursday, 17 September 2026.
Use the institutional portal: app.nmcn.gov.ng.
The Council said further instructions on how to view results, register and apply for licences will be issued on or before the same date.
What successful candidates must do next
Successful candidates should apply online for registration and licensing at myportal.nmcn.gov.ng.
Complete the process, including payment, within 90 days of the result release.
After 90 days, late registration attracts a penalty of ₦16,250 per applicant.
Failure to complete first licensing also attracts a further penalty of ₦6,562 for each year in default.
Do not wait for unofficial screenshots or social media lists. Use only the Council portals.
How to report an error
Acknowledge the result and contact the Registrar/CEO immediately if there is an error.
The Council will not consider complaints after 30 days from the date of release.
All correspondence should go to the Registrar/CEO, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Headquarters Office, Plot 713, Cadastral Zone, Life Camp, Abuja.
Next examination dates
The next Professional Examination in Midwifery will hold from Tuesday 9 March to Friday 12 March 2027.
Training institutions must send Examination Application Checklist statistics for that sitting to exams@nmcn.gov.ng on or before 30 December 2026.
The Council said any EAC received after that date will be rejected.
FNA assessment
These results add several thousand newly eligible midwives to Nigeria’s professional pipeline. That is welcome. It is not enough on its own.
Three issues now need attention.
First, convert passes into licences quickly. A midwife who has passed but is not registered cannot legally close the staffing gap.
Second, investigate the persistent gap in Community Midwifery. A 74% pass rate is an improvement on last year, but it remains the weakest pathway in a country where many births still occur far from specialist hospitals.
Third, protect training quality while expanding intake. Higher enrolment only strengthens maternal care if graduates can demonstrate safe practice at the point of licensure.
The September 2026 result should be read as both an achievement and a test. The achievement is an 84% national pass rate. The test is whether those 9,544 successful candidates are registered, licensed, deployed and retained where mothers and newborns need them.
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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.
