Who we are – NMCN

The Establishment

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria 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 Council is a body Corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal. It is the only legal, administrative, corporate and statutory body charged with the performance of specific functions on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria in order to ensure the delivery of safe and effective Nursing and Midwifery care to the public through quality education and best practices. The Council is mandated by Law to regulate the standards of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in Nigeria and to review such standards from time to time to meet the changing health needs of the society. The primary objectives of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria are to ensure high quality of Nursing and Midwifery education in Nigeria, maintain high standard of professional nursing and midwifery practice and enforce discipline within the profession. The Council has its headquarters in Abuja with Zonal Offices in Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu, PortHarcourt and Lagos. The Council is headed by a Secretary General/Registrar and is assisted by other professionals and non-professional staff. They are responsible to a Board headed by a Chairman with members drawn from various institutions and zones in the country. In order to assist the Federal Government in achieving its Health-Care Reform Agenda, the Council has close working relationship with other sister organizations under the Federal Ministry of Health. These include the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria and other health parastatals. The aim of creating this rapport is to work as a team in assisting the Government in actualizing its objectives in the health-care sector. The Council also works in partnership and collaboration with national and international non-governmental organisations such as WHO, UNICEF, USAID, The 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 etc, in developing and implementing various health programmes, projects, workshops/seminar etc., aimed at uplifting the standards of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in the country. The Council also maintains close relationship with 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, Federal Training Centres (for academic and professional training programme for staff).

Our Mission

To promote and maintain excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Education and practice in Nigeria in line with global best practice.

Our Vision

To be the foremost regulatory Council with the best nursing and midwifery professionals in the world.

Our Core Values

Professionalism: NMCN aims to deploy the highest level of competence and expertise including sound judgment and caring behavior in the training and practice of nursing and midwifery.

Transparency: Honesty and openness are the operational watchwords of NMCN in all its transactions with both internal and external clients.

Credibility: Council aims to evolve as a public organization that people can trust and produce a crop of professionals that clients can believe in at all times

Accessibility: Council operates an inclusive organization that is easy to approach, reach and understand by all staff and clients seeking to patronize it.

Responsiveness: Council seeks to quickly and positively react to internal and external clients and conditions and aims to inculcate such culture in all its staff, nursing and midwifery students and those in practice.

Efficiency: NMCN aims to achieve the best result possible with the least amount of resources necessary by ensuring best quality is deployed always.

Dynamism: NMCN is an organization that is able to quickly and effectively adjust or adapt to changes in internal and external environments and wants its products to do the same.

Functions of the NMCN

The primary objectives of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria are to ensure high quality of Nursing and Midwifery education in Nigeria, maintain high standard of professional nursing and midwifery practice and enforce discipline within the profession.

Broadly, the Council’s functions are related to those of designing, implementing and evaluating various nursing and midwifery educational programmes, of indexing, examination, registration, certification, licensure of professional nurses and midwives and monitoring standards of nursing and midwifery practice in the Country.

Specifically, the Council’s functions are as follows:

Index all categories of nursing and midwifery students on commencement of their training.
Develop and review periodically, the different curricula utilized for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives.
Co-operate with recognized bodies interested in conducting new schemes for Basic and Post Basic Education of Nurses and Midwives such as: National Universities Commission, World Health Organization, etc.
Accredit all training institutions and clinical practice areas utilized for the education of all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
Conduct Professional Examinations for all categories of Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria.
Establish and maintain Registers of all persons qualified to practice the discipline of Nursing and Midwifery in Nigeria.
Conduct Registration interviews for Nurses and Midwives trained outside Nigeria who are seeking to practice in Nigeria.
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.
Revoke and/or Restore Professional Certificates as applicable.
Determine and maintain standards of knowledge and competencies in Nursing and Midwifery Education and Practice in Nigeria.
Organize and Conduct Mandatory Continuing Professional and Educational Development Programmes for all cadres of Nurses and Midwives.
Conduct and Promote Research in relevant areas of Nursing and Midwifery.
Maintain discipline within the Nursing and Midwifery profession in Nigeria through the Nurses and Midwives Tribunal.
Prosecute illegal Training Institutions.
Regulate and control the practice of Nursing and Midwifery in all its ramifications.

info@nmcn.gov.ng