New guidelines for verifying nurses’ certificates will benefit Nigeria, say Nigerian midwives

The Nigerian Midwifery Council has emphasized that the new certificate verification guidelines for nurses are in the best interest of Nigeria. This affirmation comes in response to the protest staged by nurses from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Abuja chapter, on Monday, February 12. These nurses expressed their dissatisfaction with the recently released verification certification guidelines from the Nigerian Midwifery Council.

The Nigerian Midwifery Council is the only legal and administrative body authorized by law to regulate the standards of nursing and midwifery education and practice in Nigeria. From time to time, the council reviews these standards to meet the evolving health needs of society.

The protesting nurses argue that the implementation of the new guidelines will impede their freedom to pursue career opportunities, especially since concerns such as nurses' welfare, salary scale, and staff shortage have not been addressed.

On February 7, 2024, the Nigerian Midwifery Council issued a circular revising the guidelines for requesting certificate verification for nurses and midwives. This circular followed the deactivation of the verification portal on the council's website in December 2023.

The circular, signed by Dr. Faruk Abubakar, the Registrar of the Council, states, "A non-refundable fee per application shall be paid for verification to foreign nursing boards as specified on the portal. This fee will cover the cost of courier services to the applicant's training institution(s), place of work, and foreign board."

"Eligible applicants must have a minimum of two years of post-qualification experience from the date of issuance of the permanent practicing license. Applications with provisional licenses will be rejected outright."

"The council will request a letter of good standing from the chief executive officer of the applicant's place(s) of work and the last nursing training institution attended. Responses to these requests should be sent directly to the Registrar/CEO of the Nigerian Midwifery Council. Please note that the council will not accept such letters from the applicant."

Additionally, applicants must possess active practicing licenses with a minimum of six months remaining until expiration. The processing of verification applications will take at least six months.

The new guidelines will be implemented starting on March 1, 2024, as announced by the council.