The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has reopened its verification portal, allowing nurses and midwives to submit their verification requests once again.
This follows several months of closure that had significantly impacted professionals both within and outside Nigeria.
According to information on the NMCN website, the portal was reopened on Friday, with a message stating, “Good news, verification requests are back online. Please note that henceforth expiration dates on renewal applications will be calculated based on the date you applied.”
The closure of the portal earlier this year caused difficulties for many Nigerian nurses working abroad, especially those in the United Kingdom and the United States.
The lack of necessary verification from NMCN left some of them in violation of visa conditions and employment laws, forcing a number of nurses to return to Nigeria.
A nurse affiliated with Nursingworld Nigeria, Anthony Ijeoma, confirmed the reopening of the portal.
He praised the efforts of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives for their role in advocating for this change. “I commend NMCN for listening to reason and reopening its verification portal for nurses within and outside the country,” Ijeoma said.
The portal had been deactivated by the NMCN in February, causing an outcry among nurses, many of whom saw the action as a deliberate attempt to restrict their career opportunities abroad.
This led to protests and petitions from state chapters of NANNM across several states, including Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, and Kaduna, calling for the withdrawal of the new verification guidelines.
The guidelines introduced in February required nurses and midwives to have at least two years of post-qualification experience before applying for verification, and mandated letters of good standing from both their place of work and their training institution.
These measures were seen as overly restrictive by many in the profession.
The issue escalated to the National Assembly, where the House of Representatives on February 27 called on the NMCN to halt the implementation of its revised guidelines.
Meanwhile, NANNM has continued to press the Federal Government to address other concerns facing the profession.
On Friday, the National President of NANNM, Michael Nnachi, urged the government to address the association’s demands, including the reopening of the verification portal, the payment of staff salaries at NMCN, the creation of a special salary structure for nurses, and the constitution of the council’s board.
Nnachi emphasized the importance of these reforms, stating, “Nurses and midwives are the backbone of healthcare, and we need the government to prioritize our welfare and professional growth.”
