Fellow Nurses Africa | Lagos, Nigeria | 15 October, 2025
The Deputy Governor of Kano State Comr. Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo has come under heavy criticism after a video surfaced showing him making derogatory remarks about nurses and the nursing profession.
As gathered by the Fellow Nurses Africa correspondent; The Kano State Deputy Governor made the statements at a scholarship programme launch sponsored by Hon Sani Wakili, Member Representing Ungogo/Minjibir at House of Assembly, with the beneficiaries being CHEW students of Ungogo/Minjibir local governments.
In his words translated from Hausa:
"In our world, CHEWs are the ones being charged to take care of our rural hospitals, that’s community hospitals. They are the first point of contact for patients seeking healthcare services. In all the developed countries, nurse is different and CHEW also is different.
According to laws, if you don’t have the prerogative right, you will not give your hospital to a nurse to head it for you.
He continued making such claims as below that clearly defies global standards and the recently launched NSDNM;
In the healthcare system, CHEW is a big field, so also who study it. Even in general hospitals, what they do is not a nursing job, they do what exactly a doctor does but they are not up to the level of a doctor, but they are next in line that assists a doctor. CHEW would diagnosed a patient and prescribed medications appropriately.
He continues further;
Majorly, who did nursing, I’m comparing it (the chew program) with nursing so that everyone will understand, because everyone knows them and we are not trying to demean them. Their own work (the nurses) is to take care of patient medications after being diagnose and prescribe by a doctor, his hygiene and wellbeing"
For more context and understanding…
In the video clip, the Deputy Governor, speaking in Hausa, allegedly said that “no sensible person should hand over a Primary Health Centre (PHC) to be managed by a nurse,” insisting that Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) are the ones trained to handle such facilities. He also claimed that CHEWs are “more relevant” to healthcare than nurses, a statement widely condemned as ignorant, misleading, and disrespectful.
The remarks have triggered an uproar among members of the Nigerian nursing community with many describing his words as “demeaning” and “unacceptable,” urging NANNM and relevant authorities to take swift action to defend the integrity of the profession.
The controversy has revived discussions about the misrepresentation of nursing roles within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Nursing leaders have clarified that while CHEWs play an important part in community health promotion and disease prevention, their training and scope of practice differ significantly from those of registered nurses, who are university- or college-trained clinicians providing comprehensive patient care at all levels of the health system.
Critics argue that the Deputy Governor’s statements misinform the public and undermine ongoing national efforts to strengthen the nursing profession, especially following the launch of the National Strategic Direction for Nursing and Midwifery (NSDNM) 2025–2030, developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other global health bodies.
Nurses are now calling for a public retraction and apology, emphasizing that such remarks, if left unaddressed, could erode respect for nurses and discourage young people from pursuing the profession.
As of press time, neither the Kano State Government nor the Deputy Governor’s office had issued an official statement as regards this.
Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African Nurses. We educate, inform and support the nursing profession.
