NMCN Chief Warns Nurses Against Excessive AI Use

Dr Ndagi Alhassan says artificial intelligence should support clinical decisions rather than replace nurses’ judgement, as healthcare experts call for stronger research, ethical technology use and curriculum reforms

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Dr Ndagi Alhassan, has cautioned Nigerian nurses against excessive reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI), warning that unchecked use of the technology could weaken critical thinking, clinical judgement and the human compassion essential to patient care.

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Alhassan gave the warning on Saturday, October 31, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Undergraduate Nursing Research Challenge and Summit organised by the Golden Lamp Leadership Initiative Africa at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Speaking on the theme, Minds and Machines: The New Frontier of Academic Research, the nursing regulator stressed that although emerging technologies could improve healthcare delivery and research, they must remain tools that support professional expertise rather than substitutes for human decision-making.

“Any algorithm can calculate, but it cannot care,” Alhassan said.

He explained that AI systems could process large volumes of medical information, identify patterns and suggest possible interventions, but they lacked the human understanding required to recognise subtle changes in a patient’s condition and respond with appropriate clinical judgement.

To illustrate the distinction, the registrar described a situation in which a nurse notices that a patient is deteriorating despite normal readings on monitoring equipment.

He said a nurse’s ability to recognise unusual behaviour, observe physical changes and act promptly could make the difference between life and death, even when technological indicators fail to reveal an immediate problem.

Alhassan maintained that nursing remained fundamentally a profession of service, empathy and human connection, qualities that technological advancement should strengthen rather than diminish.

Recounting a personal experience that influenced his career choice, he disclosed that a 31-day hospitalisation following burns in 1972 played a significant role in inspiring his decision to pursue nursing.

The experience, he explained, gave him an understanding of the importance of compassionate healthcare and the responsibility professionals carry when caring for vulnerable patients.

“The frontier is open. It does not belong to the machines. It belongs to the minds that will lead them,” he said, urging nursing students to “carry the lamp forward”.

Beyond clinical practice, Alhassan raised concerns about the growing use of AI-generated materials in academic research, warning that students could unknowingly rely on fabricated references, inaccurate information and misleading findings.

He urged nursing students to verify information generated by AI tools before incorporating it into academic projects, stressing that technological convenience should never compromise research integrity.

The registrar also called for greater investment in African research data to address possible biases in AI systems trained predominantly on information that may not adequately reflect the continent’s healthcare conditions, patient populations and clinical realities.

According to him, locally relevant research would help ensure that emerging technologies provide recommendations suited to Nigeria’s healthcare environment rather than reproducing assumptions drawn from different medical settings.

Patient confidentiality was another major concern raised during his address.

Alhassan warned nurses against uploading identifiable patient records, medical histories or other sensitive health information onto AI platforms without appropriate privacy and security safeguards.

“When in doubt, do not upload,” he cautioned.

He also made clear that the council would not tolerate plagiarism, fabricated research findings or unethical applications of AI in nursing education and professional practice.

The warning reflects existing professional obligations under the NMCN’s Code of Professional Conduct, which requires nurses to protect patient information, uphold human rights and maintain professional standards in their interactions with healthcare consumers.

Alhassan encouraged students to concentrate their research on practical healthcare challenges, verify their sources, protect patient information, disclose their use of AI transparently and publish findings that could contribute to improvements in clinical practice.

He also advocated intergenerational leadership, urging experienced professionals to create opportunities for younger nurses to contribute fresh perspectives, technological knowledge and innovative approaches to healthcare delivery.

The registrar’s position also reflects the changing conversation around technology in Nigeria’s nursing profession. In October 2025, Alhassan advocated integrating digital health, telemedicine and AI into nursing education and clinical practice, arguing that future nurses needed technological competence to improve patient outcomes.

His latest remarks therefore point to a distinction between embracing innovation and surrendering professional responsibility to automated systems.

While nurses are expected to develop digital skills, they must retain the ability to question technological recommendations, assess patients independently and make ethically sound decisions.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Myqura, Abiola Ayilara, also urged Nigerian nurses to move beyond being passive users of imported healthcare technologies and become active contributors to the development of solutions addressing local medical challenges.

Ayilara argued that nurses’ direct and continuous contact with patients placed them in a strong position to identify gaps in healthcare delivery and develop practical innovations.

“Nurses should be the ones creating the solutions for patients,” she said.

She encouraged students to transform everyday clinical challenges into research questions and develop technologies that reflect the realities of African healthcare systems.

Her position reinforced the importance of involving frontline healthcare professionals in technology development, particularly as AI becomes increasingly relevant to medical research, patient monitoring and clinical decision-making.

Similarly, the Chairman of the NMCN Governing Board, Dr Alice Ogundele, called on nurses to publish their research findings, describing publication as an important step towards improving clinical practice and influencing healthcare policy.

Ogundele expressed concern over the limited visibility of research conducted by Nigerian nurses, warning that valuable findings would have little impact if they remained unpublished.

“If you don’t publish, it’s just as if you have done nothing,” she said.

She advised students against taking shortcuts in academic research, urging them to investigate practical healthcare problems and produce credible findings capable of informing professional decisions and improving patient outcomes.

The Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Ibadan, Professor Prisca Adejumo, who represented the university’s Vice-Chancellor, also encouraged nurses to embrace emerging technologies without losing the compassion and personal connection that define their profession.

Adejumo said AI should complement clinical decisions, strengthen research and improve healthcare delivery rather than weaken the relationship between nurses and their patients.

She challenged participants to undertake rigorous research, question existing assumptions and build partnerships capable of generating evidence for healthcare policy and professional practice.

“Together, we can shape a future in which technology amplifies, rather than diminishes, the heart of nursing,” she said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Golden Lamp Leadership Initiative Africa, Oluyemisi Otitoloju, called for reforms in Nigeria’s nursing curriculum to strengthen research education and promote evidence-based clinical practice.

Otitoloju said the organisation had identified gaps in nursing education and engaged lecturers and the NMCN on possible improvements, particularly in making research training more practical and accessible to students.

She observed that many nursing students regarded research as an overly theoretical aspect of their education, creating a need for more engaging approaches that connect academic investigations with everyday healthcare challenges.

She also encouraged experienced nurses to mentor younger professionals, stressing that knowledge transfer and professional guidance were essential to building a stronger nursing workforce.

“Tomorrow, be a better nurse and inspire others,” she said.

The summit also provided a platform for recognising outstanding academic contributions by undergraduate nursing students from universities across Nigeria.

A student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Bakare Fawasi, emerged as the overall winner of the 2026 research challenge, while Kushimo Adeyosola of Olabisi Onabanjo University secured second place and Paul Bamise of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti finished third.

The winners received cash awards in recognition of their research contributions. The organisers also presented Nursing Icon Awards to distinguished professionals, including Alhassan, Ogundele, Adejumo and other contributors to nursing education, research and innovation.

The recognition formed part of Golden Lamp Leadership Initiative Africa’s broader efforts to encourage research excellence, professional mentorship and leadership development among young Nigerian nurses.

The initiative previously organised its 2025 Undergraduate Nursing Research Summit and Awards in Lagos, where nursing academics raised concerns about weaknesses in research training and the limited opportunities available to undergraduate students.

At the 2025 gathering, experts called for stronger research foundations in nursing education, arguing that inadequate preparation at undergraduate level could affect the quality of postgraduate research and evidence-based professional practice.

The latest summit therefore brought together two closely connected priorities for the profession: preparing nurses to participate in technological innovation and strengthening their capacity to produce credible research that addresses healthcare challenges.

For Nigeria’s nursing sector, the challenge will be to ensure that digital transformation does not come at the expense of professional judgement, ethical responsibility and compassionate patient care.

Alhassan’s central message was that technology should make nurses more effective, not less attentive to the people they serve.

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As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into healthcare, the responsibility to protect patients, question information and make sound clinical decisions will remain firmly with human professionals.