Friday, May 29, 2026, a Nigerian newspaper led with a disturbing story captioned: “FCT shuts hospital wards, merges others over shortage of nurses Wuse, Gwarimpa, Karu District Hospitals worst hit.”

The paper noted that understaffing of medical personnel is the major reason, among others. It stated that the few available nurses do several shifts with some departments having only one nurse on each shift to attend to over 30 patients in the ward.

It confirmed that the management of Wuse District Hospital, who blamed the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the poor state of the health sector in Abuja, stated that three of its wards have been shut down, including the important and ever busy ante-natal ward, and also merged the female medical with female surgical wards, as well as children and emergency paediatrics wards. So is the situation across other hospitals in the FCT.

When Mr. Nyesom Wike became Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 2023, many residents of Abuja expected a new era of development. In many ways, the minister moved quickly. Roads were reconstructed, bridges expanded, streetlights installed, and abandoned projects revived. Abuja began to wear a cleaner and more modern look.

But beyond the shining roads and painted flyovers lies another Abuja that many people do not see — the struggling hospitals where patients wait endlessly, doctors complain of exhaustion, nurses battle frustration, and healthcare workers continue to leave Nigeria in large numbers.

Today, the condition of FCT hospitals has become one of the most disturbing realities in the nation’s capital.

Although the crisis did not start with Wike but under his administration, expectations were high because Abuja is supposed to be the face of Nigeria. Sadly, many medical workers now say that while infrastructure projects receive attention, hospitals remain neglected.

Across many government hospitals in Abuja — from Wuse and Maitama to Kubwa, Karu, Nyanya, Zuba, Kwali and Abaji — the complaints are almost the same.

Doctors complain of poor welfare, unpaid salaries, shortage of manpower, outdated equipment, poor electricity supply, lack of drugs, overcrowded wards and collapsing work conditions.

In recent years, strikes by resident doctors in the FCT have become frequent. The doctors repeatedly accused the FCT Administration of failing to honour agreements on salaries, allowances and welfare packages. In early 2025, resident doctors embarked on a warning strike over unpaid salaries and allowances running into several months.

Some doctors describe themselves as “abandoned projects,” arguing that government attention appeared concentrated on roads while hospitals continued to decay.

The situation became worse in 2025 when another indefinite strike grounded activities in district hospitals across Abuja. The doctors complained about manpower shortages, unexplained salary deductions, long working hours and poor working conditions.

One major issue is that recruitment into many FCT hospitals has remained extremely low for years. According to resident doctors, some hospitals have not seen fresh employment since 2011.

 This means the few available doctors and nurses now carry enormous pressure daily.

And then came the “Japa” Problem. No discussion about Nigerian hospitals today can be complete without mentioning the “Japa” syndrome — the mass migration of professionals abroad.

Over the last three years, the health sector has been among the worst hit. Doctors and nurses continue to leave Nigeria for the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United States and other countries in search of better salaries, improved working conditions and professional dignity.

FCT hospitals are deeply affected.

The result is visible everywhere: fewer doctors and nurses attending to more patients, exhausted nurses working double shifts, delayed treatments and rising frustration among residents.

Reports from Abuja hospitals show that some units operate with dangerously low manpower. In emergency departments, patients sometimes wait several hours before seeing a doctor because the available personnel are overstretched.

Medical personnel say the pressure is becoming unbearable. Some doctors and nurses reportedly cover the duties of several colleagues at once because many have left the country.

The tragedy is that Nigeria spends years training these professionals, only for other countries to benefit from their skills.

Many young doctors and nurses openly admit that they no longer see a future in Nigeria’s public healthcare system.

Poor salaries, welfare and motivation pervade the sector. Healthcare workers are not asking for luxury. Most simply want regular salaries, better working conditions and respect for their profession.

Yet salary delays and unpaid allowances have become recurring issues in FCT hospitals. Doctors have repeatedly protested over unpaid arrears running from one month to six months.

Patients and their families are perhaps the greatest victims. Many residents of Abuja complain about overcrowded hospitals, long waiting hours and difficulty accessing quality care.

Some patients say they spend almost an entire day before seeing a doctor in government hospitals. Others complain that strikes have become too frequent, forcing them into expensive private hospitals they cannot afford.

There are also complaints about decaying facilities, insufficient bed spaces and delayed emergency response.

Ironically, Abuja is Nigeria’s capital city. Many citizens believe healthcare services in the FCT should represent the best standard in the country. Instead, many public hospitals struggle with problems similar to those in poorer states.

The public frustration is growing because healthcare affects everybody. Roads are important, but roads cannot replace functioning hospitals.

Between 2023 and 2026 under Wike’s tenure, infrastructure development became the visible face of the FCT administration. However, healthcare workers insist that hospitals deserve emergency attention too.

The challenge now is no longer about constructing hospital buildings alone. The real issue is sustaining the human beings who make the hospitals function.

A modern hospital without doctors, nurses, drugs and equipment is merely an empty structure.

We, at the DAILY NEWSCRAFT insist that the FCT administration must urgently treat healthcare as a priority equal to roads and physical projects.

Recruitment of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel must begin immediately. Abuja cannot continue operating major hospitals with severe manpower shortages.

Salaries and allowances must be paid promptly. Delayed payments destroy morale and push workers out of the country.

The FCT must improve welfare packages, training opportunities and working conditions to slow down the “Japa” exodus.

The hospitals need serious investment in equipment, electricity, emergency response systems and drug availability.

There must be sincere dialogue between government and healthcare unions before strikes occur. Constant industrial actions only deepen personnel and public suffering.

The truth is simple: no city can truly call itself modern while its hospitals are in distress.

Abuja may have smoother roads today, but a capital city is not judged by flyovers alone. It is judged by how well it treats the sick, protects healthcare workers and preserves human life. That is the real test before Wike and the FCT administration.