The House of Representatives has advanced a bill seeking to establish a Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery in Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, in a move aimed at increasing the supply of qualified healthcare professionals.
The bill, sponsored by Benjamin Olabinjo, who represents Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency, scaled second reading during Wednesday’s plenary.
The proposed institution is expected to provide specialised training, research and continuing education in nursing, midwifery and related medical fields.
Leading the debate on the bill, Olabinjo said the proposed college would help address the shortage of nurses and midwives in Nigeria, particularly as the migration of trained professionals to foreign countries continues to put pressure on the country’s healthcare system.
He identified the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States among the destinations attracting Nigerian healthcare workers, warning that the trend was widening existing staffing gaps in hospitals and other health facilities.
According to the lawmaker, expanding local training capacity is essential to ensuring that healthcare institutions have enough qualified personnel to meet patients’ needs.
He stressed that nurses and midwives remained central to patient care, maternal health and newborn survival, adding that Nigeria needed to train more professionals to compensate for those leaving the country.
Olabinjo also highlighted the need for additional training opportunities in Lagos, noting that the state’s large population had increased demand for skilled healthcare workers.
He said the limited number of federally accredited training institutions had made admission difficult for many aspiring nurses and midwives, even as hospitals continued to face personnel shortages.
Under the proposed legislation, the college would be empowered to award professional certificates, diplomas, degrees and post-basic qualifications in nursing, midwifery and related specialities.
The institution would also conduct examinations and research, organise academic programmes, admit students and provide continuing education for practising healthcare professionals.
The bill further proposes a governing council, a School of Nursing and a School of Midwifery, alongside principal officers who would oversee the institution’s academic and administrative operations.
Olabinjo argued that establishing the college would strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly maternal and child health services, by increasing the number of skilled professionals available to hospitals and communities.
He said a larger workforce of trained midwives could contribute to reducing preventable maternal and infant deaths, especially in areas where access to skilled birth attendants remained inadequate.
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Beyond its healthcare benefits, the lawmaker said the proposed institution would create educational and employment opportunities for young people in Ifako/Ijaiye and other parts of Lagos State.
He added that the college would provide jobs for lecturers, administrators and other support personnel, while creating business opportunities for enterprises within the host community.
Olabinjo maintained that establishing a federal training institution closer to prospective students would reduce the financial burden associated with relocating to other parts of the country to pursue professional qualifications.
He urged his colleagues to support the bill, arguing that efforts to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system must include sustained investment in the training of frontline medical personnel.
Following its second reading, the bill is expected to undergo further legislative scrutiny at the relevant committee before returning to the House for consideration at the third-reading stage.
If passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, the legislation would provide the legal framework for establishing the proposed college.
Nigeria’s healthcare sector continues to grapple with concerns over the availability and distribution of skilled personnel, with the migration of health workers adding to existing staffing challenges.
The proposed college is intended to expand opportunities for professional training in nursing and midwifery. Its eventual contribution to healthcare delivery, however, would depend on effective implementation, adequate funding, accreditation and the recruitment of qualified teaching staff.