Recently, the Nigerian government has expressed concerns regarding the significant migration of health workers from Nigeria to countries like the UK, Canada, and other advanced nations. This migration is primarily driven by improved welfare packages, better living conditions, access to basic amenities, enhanced security, and numerous benefits offered by these advanced countries. The Nigerian government's reaction to this phenomenon, resulting in the NHS suspending active recruitment from Nigeria, seems more like a display of pettiness over citizen migration rather than a genuine effort to address challenges in the health sector.

To better understand the situation, it is important to investigate the issues plaguing the Nigerian health sector, which reveal the government's lack of sincerity, purpose, and effective solutions. Firstly, statistics demonstrate the limited recruitment of healthcare professionals in government hospitals. Despite thousands of nurses and doctors graduating annually, over 50 percent of them end up unemployed, as the number of advertised positions is grossly inadequate compared to the available qualified medical staff. This raises the question: Is the Nigerian health sector genuinely understaffed or is the government merely envious of its citizens' departure?

Secondly, a closer examination of medical staff wages reveals that entry-level registered nurses, on average, earn less than $150 monthly after tax deductions. This is highly insensitive considering the soaring costs of living, transportation, accommodation, and food prices. Unfortunately, the government has made no effort to improve medical staff wages in line with modern realities.

Thirdly, the private health sector suffers from poor regulation and supervision, resulting in the employment of unqualified and unlicensed medical staff as a means to avoid the so-called "high wages" offered by government hospitals. This has led to the proliferation of unlicensed health care assistants, commonly known as "Auxiliary nurses," in private hospitals, occupying positions designated for licensed registered nurses. The competition between auxiliary nurses and licensed registered nurses has driven private hospitals to offer meager salaries as low as $100. It begs the question: Should licensed registered nurses be prohibited from migrating even when they are unappreciated at home?

Fourthly, a closer look at the staff list and available workforce in government hospitals indicates a stark contrast. Due to the lack of regular staff audits, migrated healthcare workers remain on the staff list despite their continued absence. This has contributed to a significant increase in unemployment numbers.

In summary, the concerns expressed by the Nigerian government could have been genuine and well-intended if the aforementioned issues were being addressed alongside other pressing challenges facing the country. It is crucial for the NHS and the UK government to be aware of the ground realities and not be swayed by the Nigerian government's exaggerated outcry over the mass migration of its citizens, particularly those in the health sector.

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