President Bola Tinubu has approved the employment of 50 medical doctors and 100 nurses across the nation’s correctional centres’ hospitals.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

The minister said that the president’s approval followed the dearth of medical personnel in some correctional centres.

He said that the hospital in the correctional centre in River had no medical doctor to render service to the inmates.

•Prof Muhammad Pate

The amounts of money spent by Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatments surged to $549.29 million in the first nine months of 2025, a 17.96 percent increase from $465.67 million in the same period of 2024.

This is despite repeated pledges by the federal government to improve local healthcare infrastructure and reduce dependence on treatments abroad.

The figure, stated in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) quarterly statistical bulletin for Q3 2025 , shows sustained growth in medical-related travel expenses.

In the breakdown, Nigerians spent $151.53 million in Q1 2025, $189.41million in Q2, and $208.35 million in Q3, bringing the nine-month total to $549.29 million. By comparison, the same period in 2024 recorded $142.95 million, $153.67 million, and $169.04 million, respectively.

The increase underscores persistent demand for healthcare abroad, particularly for critical treatments such as cardiovascular procedures and other specialised care.

In August 2023, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, pledged to prioritise health security and reduce outward medical travels.

The Federal Ministry of Health has directed the immediate retirement of all directors who have served at least eight years in the directorate cadre, effective from December 31, 2025.

The directive, outlined in a memo signed by Tetshoma Dafeta, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, enforces the eight-year tenure policy for directors as stipulated in Section 020909 of the Revised Public Service Rules 2021.

It applies to directors across the ministry, federal hospitals, agencies, and parastatals under its supervision.

The move aligns with a broader Federal Government circular from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, which reiterated the compulsory retirement rule for directors (Grade Level 17 or equivalent) after eight years in the position, as part of efforts to ensure compliance across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The policy has sparked concerns from the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), which has criticized what it describes as selective implementation of retirement age reviews in the health sector.

JOHESU argues that such policies favor certain cadres over others, potentially undermining equity, teamwork, morale, and overall efficiency in healthcare delivery.

The ministry’s action follows recent government-wide enforcement of tenure limits for senior civil servants, including permanent secretaries. Affected directors are to be disengaged immediately, with institutions required to implement the directive without delay.