A group of nurses has taken legal action against the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the Minister of Health, contesting the recently revised certificate verification guidelines.
The council’s circular issued on February 7, 2024, introduced new requirements for verifying certificates, including two years of post-qualification experience for applicants seeking verification from foreign nursing boards.
In response, nurses in Abuja and Lagos staged protests calling for the reversal of these guidelines. Subsequently, a group of dissatisfied nurses filed a lawsuit against the council, the Minister of Health, and other relevant authorities in the National Industrial Court in Abuja.
The complainants seek to halt the implementation of the new guidelines pending the court’s decision and have requested an interim order to suspend their commencement.
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The court proceedings, presided over by Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, saw the counsel for the complainants, Ode Evans, requesting an adjournment to respond to preliminary objections filed by the defendants.
The judge granted the adjournment, scheduling the next hearing for May 20, and instructed the serving of the hearing notice to the Federal Ministry of Health and the Attorney General of the Federation, who were not represented in court.
