Doctors’ Exodus Threatens Nigeria’s Medical Education, Fayemi Warns, Seeks Compensation from Rich Nations

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Former Governor Kayode Fayemi has warned that the mass migration of Nigerian doctors is no longer only a healthcare challenge but a growing threat to medical education, saying that the country risks losing its capacity to train the next generation of specialists if the trend continues.
Fayemi called on the federal government to negotiate binding bilateral agreements that would compel wealthier nations recruiting Nigerian-trained doctors and other health professionals to compensate the country for the enormous public resources invested in their education and training.
Delivering the convocation lecture at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, titled ‘Rethinking 21st Century Specialised Medical University in the Nigerian Context: Are the Challenges Surmountable?’, the former governor said the exodus of experienced doctors is steadily eroding the foundation of medical education in Nigeria.
According to him, the departure of trained physicians is depleting the pool of consultants and specialists required to teach medical students, supervise residency programmes and sustain the country’s specialised medical universities.
He argued that Nigeria could not continue financing doctors’ education only for developed countries to reap the benefits of their expertise without contributing to the cost of training replacement professionals.
Fayemi disclosed that more than half of the 50 pioneer medical graduates of Ekiti State University employed by his administration in 2019 had since relocated abroad in search of better career opportunities, describing the development as a stark reflection of the growing “brain drain” confronting Nigeria’s health and education sectors.
He attributed the migration to poor remuneration, inadequate working conditions, limited opportunities for professional advancement and the absence of a stable environment for healthcare professionals.
Fayemi maintained that restricting doctors from leaving the country is neither constitutional nor sustainable, stressing that the solution lay in making Nigeria’s health sector attractive enough for professionals to build rewarding careers at home.
He advocated ethical international recruitment policies under which destination countries would contribute financially to the education and training of replacement health workers whenever they recruited Nigerian professionals.
The former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum recalled that Nigeria canvassed the same position at the Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum held in Accra, Ghana, in May 2026, urging the federal government to pursue the proposal vigorously in future bilateral negotiations.
“I have seen this in real life. More than half of the 50 pioneer medical graduates of EKSU that we employed in 2019 have left the country in search of greener pastures,” Fayemi said.
While noting that doctors naturally seek better opportunities abroad, Nigeria must create conditions that encourage them to stay through competitive salaries, modern medical facilities, expanded residency and fellowship opportunities, clear career progression, and practical incentives such as housing and transport support.
He urged policymakers to stop viewing the departure of healthcare workers as an individual career choice, insisting it has become a strategic national challenge that could weaken both Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system and its medical education ecosystem for decades to come.