Nurses at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, have called on the Federal Government to improve their welfare, working conditions and access to resources.
The nurses made the call during the 2026 Nurses’ Week celebration organised by the hospital’s Department of Nursing and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, FPH Yaba.
Speaking at the event themed, “Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives,” the keynote speaker, Prof. Adeshina Badru, described nurses as the “heartbeat of the healthcare system.”
Badru, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, University of Lagos, highlighted the demanding role of psychiatric nurses, including suicide prevention, managing acute psychosis and supporting patients and their families.
“We sit with suicidal patients at 3 am, 4 am, 5 am and make the difference between a night of safety and a tragedy,” he said.
He called for better funding, more psychiatric nurses, modern equipment and technology, stressing that nurses could not provide effective therapeutic care in overcrowded and unsafe environments.
The Head of Nursing Services, Mrs Alonge Kehinde, also urged greater investment in nurses’ professional development, leadership and working conditions.
“When nurses are empowered, patients are safer. Healthcare is stronger. Communities are healthier. Ultimately, lives are saved,” she said.
The Local Organising Committee chairman, Nurse Olawale Adegoke Taiwo, called for support from government, NGOs and individuals, while also expressing concern over nurse migration and the need to improve conditions to retain professionals.
“We want our nurses here to be well-defined, to be able to work and have that dignity of labour,” he added.