Posted on: Mon 21-07-2025

In what many see as a gross betrayal of professionalism and neutrality, Nigeria’s leading nursing institutions — the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN)— have come under intense scrutiny for their deliberate silence on the tireless efforts and philanthropic support offered by Mr. Peter Obi to the nursing profession in Nigeria.

Despite making significant financial donations, providing infrastructure support, and consistently advocating for nursing education, workforce development, and quality healthcare delivery, Peter Obi has received little to no recognition from these institutions. Many within the healthcare community are now asking — why?

The answer, sadly, seems to lie in partisan politics.

While Obi’s gestures have been applauded across the nursing community, the leadership of these institutions appears more concerned with appeasing their political benefactors in the APC-led government than upholding professional integrity. Both NANNM and NMCN have, time and again, demonstrated disturbing proximity to government narratives and ruling party interests, often aligning their activities, statements, and public positions with those of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This political alignment has rendered these bodies ineffective as neutral professional institutions. Their silence on Peter Obi’s unprecedented support for nurses — simply because he is not aligned with the ruling party — is a stark indictment of their credibility.

Meanwhile, one organization has stood out as an exception: Nursingworld Nigeria. In a display of professionalism, courage, and commitment to the truth, Nursingworld Nigeria formally recognized Peter Obi as an Honorary Nurse, acknowledging his tangible contributions and support for nursing development. Their move sent a strong message that recognition should be based on merit, not political calculations.

What kind of message are NANNM and NMCN sending to well-meaning Nigerians who support nursing? That unless you’re in bed with the government, your efforts won’t be appreciated? That genuine commitment to healthcare means nothing if it doesn’t come with political strings?

If our institutions continue to be hijacked by partisan interests, then the entire nursing profession is at risk of losing its moral and professional compass.

This is more than a snub of Peter Obi — it’s a slap in the face to every nurse working tirelessly across the country. It’s a betrayal of the values that define the profession: service, fairness, integrity, and compassion.

It is time for nurses across Nigeria to demand accountability from their leaders. It is time for NANNM, NMCN, and even the WAPCNM to stop playing politics with professional recognition and to start putting nurses — and the people who support them — first.

Peter Obi deserves recognition. And the silence from these institutions is louder than words.

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