Nigeria Rehabilitation Care Strained as Occupational Therapists Emigrate in Large Numbers

LAGOS, NIGERIA — A severe Nigeria occupational therapy shortage has left roughly 160 registered professionals serving a population of over 200 million people after approximately 80 percent of locally trained specialists emigrated. Official data from the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria highlights that brain drain is severely undermining physical rehabilitation, neuro-recovery, and mental healthcare services across the country.

Data released during the combined 20th and 21st convocation of the Federal School of Occupational Therapy revealed that while the institution has trained roughly 900 occupational therapists over 24 years, the vast majority now practice abroad.

Severe Disparities and the Nigeria Occupational Therapy Shortage

The manpower deficit is particularly pronounced in Northern Nigeria, where fewer than five occupational therapists and therapy assistants combined remain active in public service. Philomena Omoike, Acting Registrar of the Federal School of Occupational Therapy, characterized the situation as a critical public health emergency requiring immediate policy intervention.

Metric	Recorded Value
Total Trained in 24 Years	~900 Professionals
Emigration Rate	~80%
Active Registered Therapists	~160 Nationwide
Northern Nigeria Coverage	Fewer than 5 Practitioners

Expanding Educational Pipelines to Rebuild Capacity

Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye, Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, emphasized that clinical services for trauma, stroke, and neuropsychiatric patients face persistent operational delays due to practitioner scarcity.

To address the training bottleneck long-term, the Federal Government has approved new degree-granting occupational therapy programs across 20 universities nationwide to expand the educational pipeline over the coming decade.

Why It Matters: Occupational therapy is vital for recovery from stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and physical disabilities; Nigeria’s acute workforce deficit leaves millions of patients without access to long-term physical rehabilitation.

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Source: Vanguard, 7 September 2026