Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria License Renewal

Renewing your licence as a nurse or midwife is no longer as hectic as it used to be thanks to the incorporation of technology in the process.

In this post, you’ll find out everything you need to know about the process of licence renewal.

How to renew your Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria license

First, it is important to note that you can’t pratice as a nurse or midwife without a license, no matter where you have been trained. So, to ensure you can qualify for Nurse Coach Job Opportunities you will want to follow any licensing requirements. This is in accordance with the section 5 of the Amended Decree 54 of 1988 which states that “No Nurse shall be allowed to practice or continue to practice in any year except such a Nurse has paid Licensing fees as prescribed by the Council”.

The steps to take in renewing your licence are highlighted below:

Step #1

It cost N10,500 to renew your licence and this is done every three years. It is important to note that for every year that you default in renewing your licence, you’re expected to pay N5,250. You can make your payment via the remita platform.

Step #2

There are things you need when applying to renew your licence. These include:

• Your expired licence
• Your completed Licensing form.
• Two (2) recent identical coloured passport photographs with white background.
• Photocopies of certificates of registration.
• Photocopies of certificate of attendance for Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP).
• Original evidence of payment ofN10,500 for renewal and penalty of N5,250 for each year of default on Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria’s platform through REMITA (TSA).

Step #3

Submit all these documents at the zonal office of the Council closest to you. And that’s it; you’ve successfully renewed your Nursing and Midwifery Council licence.

Additional stuff about the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria

Now let’s take a quick look at the history of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the body in charge of the training and practice of nurses and midwives in Nigeria.

In the colonial era, nursing was among the first set of recognized professions. As a result, nurses and midwives were given an esteemed position in the society.

Nonetheless, there was the need to maintain the nursing education and practice at the same level with what is obtained in other parts of the world.

This led to the establishment of the Midwives Ordinance in 1930 which was set up with the aim of promulgating Midwifery Education and Practice in the country.

Seventeen years later, precisely in 1947, the Nursing Council of Nigeria was established by the Registration of Nurses Ordinance with the objective of regulating and controlling the education and practice of Nursing in Nigeria.

Over the years, the Council has grown to become the major authority when it comes to regulating nursing education and practice for all grades and cadres of nurses and midwives.

Currently, the council is the only legal, administrative, corporate and statutory body charged with specific functions to perform on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure the delivery of safe and effective Nursing and Midwifery care to the public.

It is a category B parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health established by Decree No. 89, 1979 now known as Nursing and Midwifery (Registration etc) act. Cap. N143, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The headquarters of the Council is in Abuja with Zonal Offices in Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu, PortHarcourt and Lagos.

Also, the Council is headed by a Secretary General/Registrar who is assisted by other professionals and non-professional staff.

The Registrar and his support staff report to a board which is headed by a Chairman. The members of the board are drawn from various institutions and zones across the country.

The Council works closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria and other health parastatals. This collaboration enables these parastatals work as a team to assist the Government in actualizing its objectives in the health-care sector.

Apart from these national parastatals, the Council also partners with international non-governmental organisations like the WHO, UNICEF, USAID, British Council, International Council of Nurses, International Council for Midwives, Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), West African Health Organization (WAHO), IPAS, Netherlands Leprosy Relief Organisation, JSI/MMIS-Nigeria, Family Health International, GHAIN, PATHS, NACA, Pathfinder International, Society For Family Heath amongst others. This enables the development and implementation of various health programmes, projects, workshops and seminars with the objective of uplifting the standards of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in the country.

As a result of its objective to maintain the standard of Nursing and Midwifery Education, the Council also maintains a close relationship with the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), National Universities Commission (NUC), Federal and State Universities, Polytechnics, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Centre for Management Development as well as the Federal Training Centres in the country.

Overall, the functions of the Council have been highlighted below:

• Accredit all training institutions and clinical practice areas that have been set up for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
• Conduct and promote research in the important aspects of Nursing and Midwifery.
• Conduct professional examinations for all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
• Conduct registration interviews for Nurses and Midwives trained outside Nigeria intending to practice in the country.
• Co-operate with recognized bodies interested in conducting new schemes for Basic and Post Basic Education of Nurses and Midwives such as the NUC and the WHO.
• Determine and maintain the standard of knowledge and competencies in Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in Nigeria.
• Develop and review periodically, the different curricula utilized for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives.
• Establish and maintain registers of all persons qualified to practice the discipline of Nursing and Midwifery in Nigeria.
• Index all categories of nursing and midwifery students on commencement of their training.
• Issue and update professional practicing licenses every three years to all cadres of qualified Nurses and Midwives.
• Issue professional certificates to all cadres of Nurses and Midwives at the end of their training.
• Maintain discipline within the Nursing and Midwifery profession in Nigeria through the Nurses and Midwives Tribunal.
• Organize and conduct mandatory continuing professional and educational development programmes for all cadres of Nurses and Midwives.
• Prosecute illegal training Institutions.
• Regulate and control the practice of Nursing and Midwifery in all its ramifications.
• Revoke and/or Restore Professional Certificates as applicable.