Abuja, Nigeria – April 22, 2025
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has strongly criticized recent comments made by Pastor Poju Oyemade, founder of The Covenant Nation, describing his remarks on the cost of medical education in Nigeria and the work ethic of Nigerian professionals as “misinformed and misleading.”
In a sermon now widely circulated on social media, Oyemade claimed that Nigerian doctors spend approximately ₦500,000 throughout their medical education, a figure he used to argue that Nigerians are ungrateful and unwilling to put in the same level of effort at home as they do abroad.
“In Nigeria, a person will graduate as a medical doctor and spend ₦500,000 throughout to become a doctor. In America, you graduate from Johns Hopkins or Harvard and spend $200,000. Are you okay?” Oyemade said, referencing a conversation with Nigerian doctors working in the United States.
He went further to suggest that Nigerians who balk at the idea of multiple jobs at home willingly do the same abroad. “They come to America, do two jobs, drive Uber, do everything. If they put a fraction of that energy in Nigeria, they would have blown,” he asserted.
Oyemade also questioned Nigeria’s unemployment statistics, using the example of a woman selling wigs informally to argue that many self-employed individuals are misclassified. “That business is not registered. She made ₦750,000 from selling wigs. There’s no job she’s doing. So is she unemployed? Our statistics are different. Understand your terrain,” he said.
NARD Responds: “Your Comments Misrepresent the Healthcare Reality”
In a sharply worded statement issued via X.com on Monday, NARD rejected Oyemade’s assertions, calling them a distortion of the economic and professional realities faced by Nigerian medical practitioners.
“With due respect, your recent comments reflect a misunderstanding of the realities surrounding medical education and the healthcare system in Nigeria,” the association stated.
Citing a peer-reviewed 2021 study by Osoba et al. in the Pan African Medical Journal, NARD clarified that the actual cost of training a doctor in Nigeria ranges between $21,000 and $51,000. This figure includes tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and clinical materials—not the ₦500,000 referenced by the cleric.
“Despite this investment,” the statement continued, “the average Nigerian doctor earns around ₦250,000 per month (roughly $170), compared to their U.S. counterparts, who earn an average of $16,000 monthly.”
NARD also pointed out the financial demands of medical migration, noting that many Nigerian families spend over $10,000 to facilitate the process of qualifying and practicing medicine abroad—a process far more complex than simply moving and getting multiple jobs.
“Nigerian Doctors Are Not Ungrateful”
The association rejected Oyemade’s implication that Nigerian professionals lack gratitude or work ethic, highlighting the dedication and resilience of medical practitioners operating in a struggling healthcare system.
“This is not about ingratitude—Nigerian doctors are among the most hardworking and resilient globally,” the statement read. “While the health system is in crisis, many citizens cannot afford medical tourism. It is easy for pastors with access to tithes and offerings to seek care abroad, but the average Nigerian church member cannot.”
Call for Advocacy, Not Condemnation
NARD concluded by urging Oyemade to use his platform to advocate for healthcare reforms rather than making “divisive” generalizations. It also referenced Nigeria’s poor global health ranking—currently 142nd out of 195 countries.
“We urge you to speak truth to power and advocate for a better health system. It may be worth considering the Apostles’ model—focusing on prayer, fasting, and the Word—rather than ‘serving tables,’” NARD added, in a subtle rebuke of the pastor’s foray into commentary on public policy.
The statement has since sparked fresh debate on the responsibilities of influential religious leaders in shaping public discourse and the realities faced by Nigeria’s embattled health professionals.