Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised the Nigerian government to urgently improve the welfare of medical professionals and upgrade hospital infrastructure to stop the rising trend of doctors leaving the country.
Obasanjo made the remarks during the commissioning of the Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Zamfara State. He expressed concern over the large number of Nigerian doctors seeking employment abroad, saying it was time for leaders to take serious action.
“For hospitals, especially when many Nigerians are ‘japa-ing’, how do you hold them here?” he asked. “You have to give them a bit of incentive.”
He emphasized that incentives alone would not be enough unless they are combined with improvements in the quality of health facilities. “It is not only the incentives but the environment they work in. If you give them a good working environment, reliable power, modern equipment, and they feel safe, many will stay,” he said.
Obasanjo noted that the lack of investment in the health sector is a major reason why doctors and other medical staff leave the country in large numbers. He warned that if urgent measures are not taken, Nigeria’s health system could collapse under the pressure of a limited workforce.
Health experts have consistently raised alarms over the growing brain drain in Nigeria’s medical sector. According to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), over 15,000 doctors have left Nigeria in the last five years, with most relocating to the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
Hospitals across Nigeria are now facing shortages, with some doctors managing up to 5,000 to 8,000 patients each—far above the World Health Organization’s recommended doctor-patient ratio of 1:600.
This is not the first time the former president has spoken on the issue. In 2024, Obasanjo also warned about the dangers of the “japa syndrome,” urging government officials to act swiftly to protect the country’s investment in human capital.
At the Zamfara event, Obasanjo called on the federal and state governments to work together to introduce stronger support systems for doctors, including better salaries, career growth plans, and safer hospital environments.
“If we don’t act now, we’ll keep training doctors for other countries. That’s a big loss for our future,” he said.
