The Federal Government has increased annual admissions into nursing schools from about 20,000 to 50,000 students, as part of a broad strategy to tackle Nigeria’s worsening shortage of healthcare professionals and rebuild the country’s health workforce amid the continued exodus of skilled personnel abroad.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Sunday, saying the expansion forms part of wider education reforms designed to produce the skilled workforce needed to drive President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The move comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with an unprecedented migration of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia and Saudi Arabia in search of better remuneration, improved working conditions, career advancement and greater economic stability.
The wave of migration, popularly known as “Japa,” has left many public hospitals struggling with acute manpower shortages, longer patient waiting times, overstretched medical personnel and increased pressure on the country’s healthcare system. Medical associations, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), have repeatedly warned that the sustained loss of experienced professionals is weakening healthcare delivery nationwide.
Against this backdrop, Alausa said the Federal Government is deliberately expanding access to professional education in critical sectors to ensure Nigeria trains enough skilled personnel to meet domestic needs while also positioning itself as a global supplier of qualified professionals.
“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa’s growth and compete successfully across the world,” the minister said.
Alausa explained that the government has significantly expanded admissions into health-related programmes to bridge longstanding shortages of healthcare workers.
He noted that annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000 students, while admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been substantially increased.
According to him, the expanded admissions will begin to yield results within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates enter the healthcare workforce.
“As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation,” he said.
The minister attributed the expansion to President Tinubu’s commitment to education and human capital development, describing education as the foundation of sustainable economic growth.
Beyond healthcare training, Alausa reiterated that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was deliberately designed to remain viable long after the current administration.
“There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time. Sustainability is central to this administration’s philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND,” he said.
He also said the administration has restored industrial harmony across tertiary institutions through sustained dialogue with academic and non-academic staff unions, noting that improved stability is already translating into better outcomes in the higher education sector.
Nigeria has witnessed a sharp increase in the migration of healthcare workers in recent years, driven by poor remuneration, inadequate infrastructure, insecurity, limited career progression and harsh working conditions. The trend, widely referred to as “Japa,” has significantly depleted the country’s pool of skilled doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.
Industry stakeholders estimate that thousands of Nigerian-trained health workers have relocated overseas in the past few years, where demand for their expertise continues to rise. The development has left many hospitals understaffed, increased workloads for those who remain and raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of healthcare delivery.
The Federal Government’s decision to expand admissions into nursing, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry is therefore seen as a strategic response aimed at producing more healthcare professionals to address current shortages, strengthen the health sector and ensure a steady pipeline of skilled personnel for both domestic and international demand.
