The Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) and Association of Clinical and Academic Physiotherapists of Nigeria (ACAPN) have called on Federal Government to strengthen rehabilitation services and reconstitute the profession’s regulatory board.
In a joint news conference organised by the two unions on Monday in Lagos, they decried the deviation of the Medical Rehabilitation Board of Nigeria Nigeria (MRTB) from its constitutional roles.
Speaking, the President of ACAPN, Prof. Udoka Okafor reaffirmed the reunion of the two associations, having functioned in different directions over unresolved dispute for the past 10 years.
Okafor said that the Board came up with recent controversial policies and regulations with total rejection from practitioners amidst allegation and suspicion of conflict of interest on the Board Registrar.
He alleged that the Board, under its Registrar, had been pursuing the creation of Diploma and Technician Grade for physiotherapy in the rural areas as Primary Care providers when so many physiotherapists and interns were unemployed.
According to him, over 70 per cent of the Board registrants are denied prompt licence renewal.
“All physiotherapists in Nigeria have come together in unity as we prepare for our upcoming Unity Conference in Kano State come October 2026.
“Both professional associations have also passed collective Resolutions saying ‘NO’ to Diploma/Technician cadre’ in physiotherapy rehabilitation in Nigeria under any guise.
“This is also validated by an Online Poll signed by over 1,000 physiotherapists in the past.
“Due to the non- constitution of the MRTB Board by the Federal Government in the past few years, the Board seem to pursue role conflict and have failed in carrying out her Statutory Roles of Professional Licencing.
“Over 70 per cent of the board registrants are denied prompt licence renewal,” Okafor said.
Shedding more light, the President of NSP, Dr Felix Odusanya, said the dispute arose after NSP raised concerns that MRTBN Registrar, Prof. Rufai Ahmad, was engaging, through his privately established institute-RAY Institute, in trainings while still at the helm of MRTBN affairs.
Odusanya explained that issues involving MRTBN later escalated to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare through the office of the Minister of State for Health.
Odusanya said, “Following extensive deliberations, the minister expressed concerns about the fact that a statutory head of regulatory body simultaneously regulates, approves and awards CPD points for training programmes organised through a private institute associated with him.
“The minister ultimately directed that the MRTBN Registrar should desist from such training activities with immediate effect and allow all training activities to be conducted by NSP.
” Unfortunately, the board disguised to continue the training under different institutes”.
Odusanya, therefore, urged FG to strengthen rehabilitation services by deploying existing qualified physiotherapists into Primary Health Care facilities, and establish a National Physiotherapy Internship Deployment Framework.
He emphasised the urgent need to reconstitute the MRTBN Board to restore lawful statutory governance, while ensuring that no major rehabilitation workforce reform proceeded without broad stakeholder consultation.
According to him, these are imperative to keep patient safety, quality of care, public confidence and statutory compliance at the centre of rehabilitation policy.(NAN)
