ABUJA, 24 October 2026. The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has asked the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to recruit at least 7,000 nurses and midwives for its secondary hospitals. The union says the territory’s health system is running on a fraction of the staff it needs.
The call came on Friday, 23 October, at the FCT event for 2026 International Nurses Week. This year’s theme is “Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives.”
The numbers
- FCT secondary health facilities have fewer than 1,000 nurses, against an estimated need of more than 8,000.
- Some nurses care for up to 35 patients per shift.
- Many work 12 to 15 hours a day, instead of the standard eight.
- More than 300 primary healthcare centres across the FCT’s six area councils share fewer than 100 nurses and midwives between them.
What NANNM is demanding
- Mass recruitment of at least 7,000 nurses and midwives.
- Safe staffing standards, plus payment of outstanding allowances and promotion arrears.
- Protection for nurses against workplace violence.
- Passage of the Safe Staffing and Nursing Workforce Bill, and of the bill establishing an FCT College of Nursing Sciences in Gwagwalada.
- Governing boards for the FCT Hospitals Management Board and the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
NANNM National President Haruna Mamman and FCT Council Chairman Dr Jama Medan spoke at the event. Medan praised Minister Nyesom Wike’s plans to renovate 14 hospitals, complete Jabi Hospital and buy 12 ambulances. He added that buildings without staff, equipment and welfare will not save lives. FCT Head of Service Nancy Sabanti, speaking for the minister, said the administration remains committed to better working conditions. The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr Alhassan Ndagi, gave the keynote through his Chief of Staff. He named staff shortages, migration and poor resources as the profession’s biggest challenges.
Why this matters this week
The demand lands days after Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja, where most of the 44 traced contacts are health workers. Screening at every entrance, isolation areas and one-to-one care for suspected cases all need nurses. A nurse already caring for 35 patients cannot do them safely.
Staffing gaps in the FCT also feed the wider “japa” exodus. An estimated 55,000 Nigerian-trained nurses now work in OECD countries. Many trained nurses at home remain unemployed because posts are not budgeted.
Are you a nurse in an FCT hospital? Tell us about your shift in the comments.
Sources: News Agency of Nigeria, Nigeria Health Watch via allAfrica.