‘It’s slavery,’ says lawmaker who opposed bill mandating medical practitioners to work in Nigeria for 5 years before ‘japa’
The lawmaker representing Ukwa East/West Constituency of Abia State in the House of Representatives, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, has faulted a bill being proposed in the House seeking to prevent Nigerian-trained medical or dental practitioners from being granted full licenses until they have worked for a minimum of five years in the country.
The lawmaker said the provision of the bill is not only offensive to occupational right, but it is also an occupational slavery, and not obtainable in any clime.
In the last decade, Nigeria has been hit by a mass exodus of young professionals to Europe and America in search of greener pastures. The health sector is one of the worst hit by the emigration, using social media parlance ‘japa’, and the bill is part of the measures aimed at halting the increasing number of medical practitioners leaving the country in search of greener pastures.
The bill, sponsored by Ganiyu Johnson from Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency 2 of Lagos, was passed for second reading by a majority voice vote at the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
The title of the amendment bill reads, “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M379, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to mandate any Nigeria-trained Medical or Dental Practitioner to Practise in Nigeria for a Minimum of Five (5) before being granted a full license by the Council in order to make Quality health Services available to Nigeria; and for Related Matters (HB.2130).”
Johnson told the House that it was only fair for medical practitioners, who enjoyed taxpayer subsidies on their training, to “give back to the society” by working for a minimum number of years in Nigeria before exporting their skills abroad.
The majority of lawmakers supported the bill, though a number of them called for flexibility and options in the envisaged law.
During the debate livestreamed on the official Facebook page of the House of Representatives and monitored by Neusroom, Nkem-Abonta likened the bill to a law mandating lawyers to first do a tutelage for two years after qualifying as a lawyer before starting their own chamber. He said the law was abolished by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida who made it possible for lawyers to start their chambers immediately after leaving the law school.
“Except you’re giving them free scholarship to train. You didn’t give them scholarship nor provide for them. It is occupational slavery and a bad law,” he said.
He further argued that the law should be optional with a provision that offers medical practitioners good pay that will make them stay in the country.
“If you want medical practitioner to stay (work in Nigeria), you can say upon graduation, any medical practitioner who work in Nigeria will earn N1 million a month, nobody will run, they will all stay. When you don’t have a good pay for them, they will all go,” Nkem-Abonta argued.
The sponsor of the bill lost his re-election to Labour Party’s Joe Okey in the February 25, 2023, election. Babajide Obanikoro (APC Lagos) who seconded the bill also lost his re-election bid to LP.
Many healthcare workers are leaving Nigeria due to poor renumeration and poor working conditions.
In October 2022, President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Uche Rowland, said no fewer than 5,600 Nigerian medical doctors have migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) in the last eight years.
In January 2023, President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Orji Innocent, said the association has lost over 2,000 members in the last two years.
Report also says Nigeria ranks third highest, behind India and Pakistan, in the number of foreign doctors working in the UK.
