Afe Babalola
Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola (SAN), has issued a warning to Nigerians considering migrating to foreign countries, emphasizing that Nigeria provides better opportunities for self-development. Babalola, speaking at the induction ceremony of newly-registered nurses at ABUAD, shared his personal experience, stating that if he had chosen to stay in England during the 1960s, he would not have achieved the level of success he has attained today as the Chancellor of ABUAD.
Highlighting the challenges of living abroad, Babalola asserted that Nigeria’s only problem lies in its leadership. He expressed his belief that Nigeria, with its diverse ethnic nationalities, should have thrived and become the “United States of Nigeria” if circumstances had remained favorable. However, he lamented that the military intervention in the country during the 1960s had led to the deterioration of various aspects of Nigerian society.
Encouraging the newly-inducted nurses, Babalola urged them to become great ambassadors of the university and emphasized that with determination, hard work, and faith, they could achieve their goals.
During the induction ceremony, Dr. Esther Afolabi delivered a lecture titled “Migration Intention: Implications and Challenges to Nursing in Nigeria.” Afolabi, a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, stressed the need for the government to implement appropriate measures to address the exodus of nurses. She suggested increased workers’ remuneration, improved working conditions, and professional autonomy as crucial steps in reducing the migration of nurses abroad.
Afolabi further emphasized the importance of government regulation of migration policies to curb the negative impact of nurse migration. While acknowledging the economic benefits of remittances from Nigerians living abroad, she highlighted the adverse effects of nurse migration on the country’s healthcare system. The migration of nurses depletes Nigeria’s healthcare workforce, thereby reducing the effectiveness of healthcare delivery and causing dissatisfaction among nurses in public health institutions.
In light of these challenges, Afolabi called for greater investment in essential materials and consumables for quality nursing care in primary, secondary, and tertiary public health institutions. She stressed the urgent need to address the concerns of nurses and improve their working conditions to ensure the provision of efficient healthcare services within the country.
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