The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has strongly rejected comments made by Pastor Poju Oyemade, founder of The Covenant Nation, who claimed that medical doctors in Nigeria spend as little as ₦500,000 throughout their education.
In a trending sermon, Pastor Oyemade compared the cost of training medical professionals in Nigeria to that of the United States, citing Johns Hopkins University and Harvard as examples.
“In Nigeria, a person will graduate as a medical doctor and spend N500,000 throughout to become a doctor. In America, you graduate from Johns Hopkins or Harvard and you spend $2,000. Are you okay? Do you know how much money you spend?” he said.
He further criticized Nigerians who condemn working multiple jobs at home but do the same abroad.
“They will come to America, wake up in the morning, do first job, do second job, do Uber, and everything. If they put a fraction of that energy here, they would have blown,” he remarked.
Oyemade also questioned Nigeria’s unemployment data, arguing that many informal businesses are profitable but unaccounted for in official statistics. Citing an example of a lady who sold wigs worth ₦750,000 without being registered, he said, “That business is not registered… So, if somebody is in their house and just starts selling wigs, are they unemployed? No.”
In a statement released on Monday via X.com (formerly Twitter), NARD criticized the pastor’s statements, describing them as a “misrepresentation of the financial realities surrounding medical education and the healthcare system in Nigeria.”
“No medical doctor is trained on ₦500,000,” NARD declared. “A peer-reviewed study by Osoba et al. (2021) published in the Pan African Medical Journal puts the cost of medical training in Nigeria between $21,000 and $51,000, including tuition, accommodation, and other expenses.”
The association highlighted the stark economic disparity Nigerian doctors face. “Despite this enormous investment, the average Nigerian doctor earns about ₦250,000 ($170) monthly. Meanwhile, in the U.S., medical training costs roughly $275,000, and the average doctor earns about $16,000 (₦24 million) monthly,” the statement noted.
NARD also addressed the financial burden of relocating abroad. “Nigerian families spend over $10,000 to help their children emigrate and qualify to practice medicine overseas.”
Responding to Oyemade’s comment on ingratitude, NARD said, “This isn’t about gratitude. Nigerian doctors are among the most resilient and hardworking globally. While many pastors can afford medical care abroad through church tithes and offerings, the average Nigerian cannot.”
The association urged the pastor to leverage his influence to push for healthcare reforms rather than criticize professionals. “We encourage you to speak truth to power. Nigeria’s healthcare system is ranked 142nd out of 195 globally. ~It’s time we focus on solutions,” NARD concluded.
