House of Reps move to establish College of Nursing in Lagos
House of Reps move to establish College of Nursing in Lagos
The House of Representatives has passed a bill through a second reading, seeking to establish a Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State to expand access to professional training and help address the shortage of healthcare personnel in the country.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Mr Benjamin Olabinjo was read on the floor of the House on Wednesday.
The proposed law seeks to establish the institution as a specialised centre for training, research and continuing education in nursing, midwifery and related fields.
Leading debate on the bill at plenary, Olabinjo said the proposed college would help “increase the number of qualified nurses and midwives available to hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country.”
He expressed concern over the shortage of nursing personnel, noting that “the migration of trained professionals to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and other Western countries has further strained Nigeria’s healthcare system.”
He continued, “Ask any hospital in Nigeria what it needs most, and the answer is almost always the same: more nurses and midwives,” he said.
He added that nurses and midwives played critical roles in patient care, maternal health and newborn survival, but the country was losing trained professionals faster than it could replace them.
“Yet we are losing them faster than we are training them. This bill is about training more of them, and training them where they are needed,” the lawmaker added.
Olabinjo noted that Lagos, one of Nigeria’s most populous states, required more training opportunities to meet the growing demand for qualified healthcare workers.
According to him, the limited number of federally accredited training places had left many aspiring nurses and midwives struggling to secure admission, while healthcare facilities continued to grapple with shortages of personnel.
The proposed legislation provides for the college to offer professional certificates, diplomas, degrees and post-basic qualifications in nursing, midwifery and related specialities.
It also empowers the institution to admit students, conduct examinations and research, organise academic programmes and provide continuing education for practising professionals.
Under the proposed framework, the college would have a governing council, a School of Nursing and a School of Midwifery, alongside principal officers responsible for its administration and academic activities.
The sponsor said the institution would help strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly maternal and child health services, by producing more skilled professionals.
He argued that increasing the number of trained midwives was an important step towards reducing preventable maternal and infant deaths, especially in communities where access to skilled birth attendants remained inadequate.
Beyond its healthcare benefits, Olabinjo said the college would create educational and employment opportunities for young people in Ifako/Ijaiye and other parts of Lagos State.
He added that the institution would generate jobs for lecturers, administrators and support staff, while stimulating economic activities among businesses operating within the host community.
“Training close to home means a real career for young people in this constituency and Lagos, without the cost of moving far away to study,” he said.
Appealing for the support of his colleagues, Olabinjo maintained that improving the country’s healthcare system required sustained investment in the professionals responsible for delivering frontline services.
“We cannot fix our healthcare system without the people who run it day and night. This bill invests in them,” he argued.
He urged the House to support the bill’s second reading and refer it to the relevant committee for further legislative consideration ahead of its return for a third reading.
If passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, the proposed legislation would provide the statutory basis for establishing the federal institution.
Nigeria’s healthcare sector has continued to face concerns over the availability and distribution of skilled health workers, as migration to countries offering better remuneration and working conditions adds to staffing pressures.
Nurses and midwives are particularly important to primary healthcare, antenatal care, childbirth and postnatal services, making their availability a major factor in efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
The proposed college is intended to expand the country’s capacity to train these professionals, although its eventual impact would depend on implementation, funding, accreditation and the availability of qualified teaching staff.
