The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker on Thursday appealed to the 52 newly graduated nurses of Chrisland University, Abeokuta to shun Japa and stay behind in Nigeria to contribute their quota towards improving the country’s healthcare sector saying that the government is ready to offer them jobs.
Coker represented by Dr Omowunmi Awonuga, the Deputy Provost, Ogun State College of Nursing Sciences, Abeokuta made this appeal during the induction of the newly qualified nurses of the university into the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria
The Commissioner said that the government recognises the crucial roles of the nurses in the delivery of qualitative healthcare and would continue to provide an enabling environment and support that is needed to make them thrive and help provide requisite care for Nigerians
She said that the newly inducted nurses are entering into the workforce at a time when the demands of the nursing profession are great and the expectations of the society are very high saying that they will be required to demonstrate not only technical proficiency, but also sound judgment, ethical integrity, emotional resilience, and unwavering commitment to patient care.
Coker explained that “Now, this is the government’s commitment, the Ministry of Health, recognises the critical role of nurses in the delivery of quality health care.We remain committed to creating an enabling environment for professional practice, to improving the welfare and working conditions of all health workers, even the nurses.
“And to support continuous professional development, we will continue to work with relevant regulatory bodies, training institutions, and professional associations to strengthen nursing education, improve service delivery, and enhance patient safety.
“Our doors are open for nurses to apply, we need more nurses in Ogun State as the Vice Chancellor has rightly encouraged all of you that please stay back with us in Ogun State, in Nigeria, as you are also being recognized internationally. You can apply and by the grace of God, we will employ you”
Speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Oyedunni Sola Arulogun urged newly inducted nurses to speak up against unsafe medical practices, exercise professional courage and prioritise patients’ safety in the discharge of their duties.
Arulogun warned that nurses must not blindly follow medical instructions when they suspect that a patient’s life is at risk, stressing that professional competence must be matched with compassion, integrity and the courage to challenge potentially harmful decisions.
According to her, nurses play a critical role in healthcare delivery because they are often the first to detect changes in patients’ conditions and the professionals closest to them during emergencies.
“A good nurse does not merely carry out instructions; a good nurse thinks critically, acts responsibly and advocates courageously for those entrusted to their care,” she said.
The VC charged the inductees to pursue continuous professional development, embrace evidence-based practice and treat every patient with dignity, irrespective of social status or economic circumstances.
She described nursing as a profession that required more than academic qualifications, urging the graduates to combine knowledge with compassion and professional excellence with service to
Arulogun also begged the newly inducted nurses to stay in the country and be globally relevant saying that the country needs them to revolutionise the healthcare sector.
She further urged them to embrace emerging opportunities in research, education, entrepreneurship, public health and healthcare leadership, while using technology responsibly to improve service delivery.
According to her, artificial intelligence may assist clinical decisions, but it cannot replace the human compassion required in nursing.
In her remarks, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr Ndagi Al-Hassan, represented by Nurse Eleanor Chinwe Nwaka, urged the newly inducted nurses to maintain good relationships with their mentors and other healthcare workers.
Al-Hassan stressed that effective healthcare delivery depended on cooperation among all members of a hospital team, including cleaners and other support staff.
Al-Hassan also advised the graduates to accept corrections, learn from experienced colleagues and use their internship period to translate the knowledge acquired during training into safe clinical practice.
Delivering the keynote lecture, a former Dean of the School of Nursing Science at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Prof Christiana Sowunmi, said nurses must be empowered with the knowledge, resources, confidence and organisational support needed to protect patients and themselves.
Sowunmi warned that unsafe healthcare practices remained a major threat to patient outcomes, identifying medication errors, healthcare-associated infections, diagnostic errors, patient falls and unsafe clinical procedures as potential sources of preventable harm.
She said nurses should question unclear prescriptions, report unsafe practices and communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals rather than assume that written instructions were always correct.
“You are no more going to say, ‘Oh, it was written.’ You need to question prescriptions that do not align with your pharmacology in nursing and be bold to say it,” she said.
She also urged the inductees to take precautions against occupational hazards, including infections, injuries from sharp instruments, workplace violence, fatigue and stress.