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Top Services Rendered By “Quack” Doctors in Nigeria Revealed
Latest weekly poll results released by NOIPolls Limited have revealed that about 2 in 10 Nigerians (24%) may have directly or indirectly been victims of quack or sub-standard medical practitioners.
The poll also identified Typhoid and Malaria Fever as the most prevalent ailments for which majority of the patients (50%) have been treated for by sub-standard medical practitioners, followed by pregnancy and childbirth (11%).
Furthermore, respondents were of the opinion that the health condition of victims became worse after treatment. These were the key findings from the Sub-standard or Quack Medical Practitioners in Nigeria Snap Poll conducted in the week of January 13th 2014.
The researchers said that recent media reports in Nigeria have observed an upsurge in the prevalence of sub-standard or quack medical practitioners, with attendant effects on the physical wellbeing of the populace and life expectancy of the average Nigerian.
“In 2013 alone, there were several reports of arrests made by the Nigerian Police Force in various states, especially in Lagos state. For instance, the Rivers State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had the police arrest 12 quack medical doctors and also had illegal hospitals in the state shut down. Similarly, several hospitals in Lagos have been closed down for practicing without medical licenses. Other cases include that of Gabriel Onyema and Stephen Nwankwo, who were arrested for causing the deaths of a number of pregnant women, while performing illegal surgical procedures in Lagos,” the NOIPolls said.
Despite annual budgetary allocations to the health sector by various levels of government, the sector still grapples with several challenges: poor funding of the health sector; quality of graduates emanating from medical schools; deplorable conditions of health facilities & infrastructure; and poor remuneration and emoluments for medical workers, all these resulting in incessant strikes and labour actions, giving rise to the illegal practice of medicine in the country by individuals.
In the light of these, NOIPolls conducted its latest poll on the prevalence of sub-standard/quack medical practitioners in Nigeria; in order to gauge the perception of Nigerians regarding their knowledge of the existence of quack medical practitioners and effects on the country’s health sector.
Respondents to the poll were asked five specific questions. Firstly, in order to establish the awareness of the prevalence of sub-standard and quack medical practitioners in Nigeria, respondents who had an understanding of quackery were asked: Are you aware of the growing prevalence of sub-standard or quack medical practitioners in Nigeria? Overall, majority (79%) of the respondents answered positively to being aware of the growing prevalence of sub-standard or medical practitioners in Nigerian, while 21% of Nigerians responded negatively.
Further analysis, by geo-political zones, indicates that the North-West zone (92%) had the highest proportions of respondents that showed an awareness of the rising prevalence of quack medical practitioners, followed by the North-East zone with 88% and the South-West zone with 83%.
Furthermore, in order to gauge the understanding of Nigerians regarding who really is a sub-standard or quack medical practitioner, respondents were asked: Who is a sub-standard or quack medical practitioner?
Findings revealed that Nigerians have various perceptions on the concept of Quackery, giving a variety of definitions on who is a sub-standard or quack medical practitioner.
Majority (44%) of the respondents, have an understanding that sub-standard or quack medical practitioners are “practitioners with incomplete qualifications”; while 35% of respondents believe they are “individuals that pretend to have medical knowledge”’.
Furthermore, 8% say they are ‘individuals that use unproven and unscientific remedies’; 2% say they are ‘student practitioners’; and another 2% say they are ‘Native Doctors’. However, about 8% of those polled do not have a definitive idea about quack medical practitioners.
Analysis based on geo-political zones revealed that the North-Central zone (52%) had the highest proportion of Nigerians who define quackery as “practitioners with incomplete qualifications”, while the South-West zone (45%) accounted for the largest proportion of Nigerians (45%) that believe quack medical practitioners are “individuals that pretend to have medical knowledge,” according to result of the survey.
Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
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