Nigeria should charge UK, U.S., Canada for doctors migrating to their countries: Hamzat
The deputy governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has asked the federal government to charge the United Kingdom and other countries for each 1,000 Nigerian doctors that they welcome as migrants.
“The Nigerian government should look for a way to benefit from the countries our doctors are moving to.
“For example, if 1,000 doctors go to the United Kingdom, the UK government must pay us something back in return,” Mr Hamzat said on Sunday in Lagos while reacting to the issue of the brain drain of medical experts in Nigeria.
He also suggested that medical colleges in Nigeria must develop the capacity to train more doctors to bridge the brain drain gap in the sector.
“Human migration is normal. People would leave, and people would come. But as a country, we can train more doctors,” Mr Hamzat said.
He said since many medical practitioners had decided to leave Nigeria for other developed countries, it had become necessary for Nigeria to increase its capacity to produce more doctors to serve the nation.
“I am not against the brain drain of medical doctors, but what we need is to create a pipeline to train more doctors instead of complaining that medical personnel are leaving the country.
“If we train 5,000 doctors yearly, let us increase the numbers to 15,000; by doing so, the country benefits.”
Mr Hamzat said the government could not stop people from going wherever they wanted.
According to him, in 2022, 197 Americans threw away their passports and became Singaporeans, so people will continue to move around the world.
On Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led second term administration, Mr Hamzat said the THEMES Agenda of the first tenure would continue.
The acronym stands for Transportation and Traffic Management; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos State a 21st-Century Megacity; Entertainment and Tourism; and Security and Governance.
He said the ‘Plus’ added to the second term’s agenda was to enhance social inclusion.
“There are many people that we need to lift out of poverty.
“We need to make sure that people can at least run a business, no matter how small, based on their skills and interests.”
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Abuja
CAN mourns ex-Aso Rock chaplain William Okoye
CAN has expressed deep sadness over the passing of William Okoye, the founder and general overseer of All Christians Fellowship Mission.
World
U.S. soldiers to be screened for testosterone deficiency
The U.S. secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday, said soldiers who are 30 years old and older would be screened for ‘testosterone deficiency’.
Economy
SpaceX shares slide below IPO price for first time
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s shares stumbled below their initial public offering (IPO) price for the first time on Wednesday, just over a month after the company went public.
Hot news Home top
Iran puts Trump in coffin on giant billboard
An inscription splashed across the coffin says, “We Will Kill Trump,” in both Persian and English. Another message on the billboard says, “In memory of Minab’s children.”
Economy
Africa risks losing $300 billion blue economy potential, BRACED chair warns
BRACED boss noted that Africa’s blue economy has an estimated annual value of more than $300 billion if properly harnessed.
Sport
Argentina v Spain: Will Messi ‘bathe’ Yamal in 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday?
In 2007, Messi, 20, Barcelona’s budding star, was paired with five-month-old Yamal in a charity calendar photo shoot put together by Barcelona’s foundation.
