NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL OF NIGERIA DURING THE FLAG-OFF OF THE
NATIONAL DIPLOMA/HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA PROGRAMMES IN NURSING IN
GOMBE , GOMBE STATE ON MONDAY 4TH FEBRUARY, 2019
PROTOCOL!
On behalf of the Board and Management of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, I
welcome all of you to the flag-off ceremony of the National Diploma/Higher National
Diploma (ND/HND) Nursing programmes taking place here in Gombe State. Before I
continue, let me thank the Almighty God, Who in His infinite mercy and blessings, made it
possible for us to arrive here safely and be part of this momentous occasion .
Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has among its core mandates, ensuring high
quality of nursing and midwifery education in Nigeria as well as the maintenance of high
standard of professional practice in line with global best practices. This has informed the
various restructuring/reforms undertaken by the Council over the years in order to provide
direction, improve standard of training and quality of nursing practice to meet the evolving
health care demands of our society.
Historically, nursing education started with the hospital-based training under the management
of the Ministry of health with the professional qualification as registered nurse (RN) or
registered midwife (RM) without academic qualification. Likewise, the post basic
programmes are managed by the teaching hospitals and not the parent Universities where the
programmes are domiciled. Since hospital-based institutions are not empowered to award
academic certificates, it has created challenges and imbalance for nurses and midwives in the
areas of career and academic progressions despite their robust entry qualifications, quality of
knowledge and length of years invested in the training. These are some of the indications
that reforms are necessary in the contemporary system of nursing and midwifery education in
Nigeria.
It may interest this gathering to know that the reform agenda in contemporary nursing
education in Nigeria was conceived right here in Gombe State during the 10th Nursing
Leaders Conference in 2005. One of the cardinal reform agenda of that conference is the
conversion of all schools of nursing to collegiate system, as well as their affiliation or
absorption by the Universities in order to provide holistic University education in nursing.
The journey started and over the years, the Council has made several efforts and taken bold
steps to reposition nursing and midwifery education in Nigeria with major intents to ensure
that nursing education in Nigeria progress in line with the national policy on education as
well as meet the evolving socio-economic and health care challenges of the 21st century. The
Council believes that for nursing education reforms to be relevant, recognized, sustainableand acceptable, it should be in line with the philosophy and basic principles of the national
policy on education affecting tertiary education in the country. It is worthy of concern that
this revised national policy on education did not mention or make any reference to the
schools of nursing and midwifery or the post basic nursing programmes.
In its avowed determination to address this problem, the Council made consultations with
relevant stakeholders in attempts to bridge the gaps in hospital-based system of nursing and
midwifery education for the award of academic certificates and in providing balance in
nursing and midwifery education and practice in Nigeria.
Some of the strategies explored by the Council include the collegiate system, which is
absorption and assimilation of the basic schools of nursing into the University degree
programme. This however, yielded very little or no result at the end of 2015 which was the
target period to measure the progress of the reform. Subsequently, the Council restratergised
and approached the Federal Ministry of Education in 2007 in order to provide a link to
achieve quantification of nursing certificate. The Federal Ministry of Education Experts
Assessors Committee accorded official recognition to the Council and its professional
qualifications. The General Nursing qualification or the Basic Midwifery qualification is
rated as Higher National Diploma (HND) but for the purpose of employment only.
Looking at the national education framework, regulation and quality assurance agencies of
the educational system are:
• The National Universities Commission (NUC)
• National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
• National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)
Institutions being regulated by the above can only award academic certificate.
The board of the Couawards its 41th meeting resolved and directed management of the
Council to conclude arrangement with the NBTE and hospital-based Schools of Nursing in
Nigeria for award of ND/HND Nursing. I wish to state clearly that though not the best of
options, but is considered expedient in the present circumstances in providing qualified and
adequate manpower of nurses and midwives in Nigeria. The Schools of Nursing are to be
upgraded to Colleges to be qualified for the mounting of ND/HND nursing programmes.
Interestingly, many schools which indicated interest have upgraded their schools to colleges.
It worthy to mention that the Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
NBTE in January, 2017 for the commencement of the ND/HND nursing programme and also
updated the already developed ND/HND curricula in collaboration with NBTE. The new
system will lead to the award of academic certificate in addition to the professional certificate
as RN, RM, or RPHN. Furthermore, the ND/HND nursing programmes were structured to
accommodate the provisions of the new scheme of service for nurses and will also allow for
improvement in career and academic progressions for nurses and midwives. It will also make
it easier for nurses to align in the structured educational system of Nigeria.
Requirements/Modalities➢ The programme is for four year course for the award of ND/HND Nursing.
➢ Entry requirements remain 5 O’ Level credits in English, Mathematics, Biology,
Physics and Chemistry at all levels of nursing and midwifery education in Nigeria.
➢ All graduates will sit for the Council’s professional examinations for the award of
registered nurse certificate and each of them shall have option for specialization in
Midwifery or Public Health Nursing.
➢ The institution under this new system must operate as Colleges of Nursing and
admission shall be through JAMB. The Colleges shall also have an Enabling Law
establishing it and a Governing Board.
➢ The College shall have Departments – ie Nursing, Midwifery,Public Health, and
Basic Sciences all with qualified Lectures and instructors.
However, Schools of Nursing and Midwifery which are not able to meet up with the above
requirements shall be allowed to continue for a specific period - 2023 to enable them meet up
with the accreditation requirements.
Presently, the Council regulates 279 nursing, midwifery, post basic nursing and department
of nursing in Nigeria. These institutions comprised of 99 Schools of Nursing, 94 Schools of
Basic/post Midwifery, 58 School of Post Basic Nursing programmes and 29 Departments of
Nursing. Let me at this juncture reecho that much attention and emphasis will be given for
the establishment of more department of nursing at Universities in Nigeria.
I wish to emphasize also that ND/HND is only for the current institutions and not meant for
the establishment of new training institutions. Regulation and control for the establishment of
new nursing training programs is under the Council. Any attempt to deviate from these
arrangements attracts appropriate sanction and non-recognition from the Council.
Permit me to also stress here that all other areas of nursing education are not left out but
carried along in the Council’s reform agenda. The post basic and nursing specialty
programmes are coming on board and arrangements have commenced to absorb or run these
programmes as post graduate under departments of nursing in the Universities.
In conclusion, let me once again stress that all aspects of the nursing and midwifery education
reforms require nurses with higher degree. While the Council appreciates the fact that
manpower development in nursing has improved, but it also advocates for more nurse
/midwife educators, nurses with M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Nursing for the reform to succeed.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to formally launch the take-off of
the ND/HND Nursing programmes commencing with the College of Nursing, Gombe,
Gombe State.
Thank you and God bless.
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