Chancellor and President of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, yesterday lamented the exodus of health workers from the country, blaming it on the current socioeconomic challenges facing Nigeria.

Babalola, who spoke in Ado Ekiti at the 10th Induction Ceremony of the Nursing Graduands of the university, noted that the ABUAD multisystem hospital also suffered the Japa syndrome.

He said: “We have trained over 1,000 nurses in this university, but we don’t have up to 15 of them in the country. In my hospital, where we pay higher wages, they still go away. This is because of the situation in the country. I don’t blame them.

“Wherever you go, please remember to be great ambassadors of ABUAD. The future is bright for you if you imbibe character, hard work and faith because faith never fails.

“You must be an outstanding nurse. If you recite the nursing anthem, as well as the ABUAD anthem, you will see the emphasis on character and discipline. In my hospital here, we emphasise character and discipline.”

In her keynote lecture, a senior lecturer at the Department of Nursing Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Prof Adekemi Olowookere, urged the inductees to always be guided by the ethics of the nursing profession.

Speaking on the theme: “Building Competence, Embracing Global Relevance, and Developing Quality Care: The Modern Nurse’s Mandate,” she said the government must urgently address the shortage of health personnel to take care of burnout and low morale of workers in the sector.

In her welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof Smaranda Olarinde, urged the inductees to develop competence, embrace global relevance, and provide quality care in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

Olarinde said the theme of the event could not be timelier, saying: “In a world plagued by complex health challenges, climate shocks, and pandemics, the role of the nurse has become more indispensable than ever.

“At ABUAD, we affirm that nursing is the mother of medicine and the heartbeat of all functional healthcare systems.” She urged the graduands never to forget the timeless counsel of the founder and chancellor.

“You must be kind to your patients. You must love them, share in their pains, and provide them comfort. Let them feel that they can still make it. Give them that hope.”

In her remarks, the Dean Faculty of Nursing Science, Prof Elisabeth Ojo, urged the inductees to emulate the hard work of Babalola, urging them not to disappoint ABUAD and their parents.