The Niger State House of Assembly has passed a landmark bill establishing the Niger State Colleges of Nursing and Midwifery, marking a major step toward strengthening healthcare education and addressing the state’s shortage of trained nurses and midwives.
The bill, sponsored by Hon. Murtala Adam Badaru of the Suleja Constituency, was approved on Tuesday after a clause-by-clause review during the Committee of the Whole.
Presenting the report, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Education, Science and Technology; Health, Nutrition and Primary Healthcare; and Judiciary and Legal Matters, Hon. Muhammad Sani Idris (Tafa Constituency), said the draft legislation benefited from wide consultations and a public hearing involving critical stakeholders.
Representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Ministry of Secondary and Tertiary Health, the Nigerian Nurses and Midwives Association, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the College of Nursing Sciences all contributed to shaping the final document.
A Single College, Multiple Campuses
Under the new law, Niger State will operate a unified College of Nursing Sciences with campuses spread across different locations. Lawmakers say the structure will:
– Improve resource allocation
– Raise training standards
– Strengthen administrative coordination
– Ensure full compliance with national regulatory bodies
Education and health stakeholders at the public hearing had stressed that a unified institution would improve quality assurance and create a clear training pathway for young people, especially girls interested in nursing and midwifery careers.
Deputy Speaker Afiniki Eunice Dauda, who presided over the session, praised the committee for its “thorough and inclusive work,” and directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the clean copy of the bill to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago for assent.
If signed into law, the new college will significantly expand access to professional nursing education at a time when Nigeria is grappling with a national shortage of healthcare workers and an increasing migration of trained nurses abroad.
