How Many Nigerians Can Give CPR or basic first aid if somebody suddenly collapses beside them? The Hidden Emergency Gap in Nigeria’s Streets, Markets, Schools and Workplaces

 How Many Nigerians Can Give CPR? The Hidden Emergency Gap in Nigeria’s Streets, Markets, Schools and Workplaces

By Raifu Nurudeen MANNURMEDIA

Look at it from this angle,

You are walking through a busy Nigerian market when someone suddenly collapses. People gather around. Someone says, “He has fainted.” Another person begins calling relatives. Someone else starts recording with a phone. Others simply stand and watch.

Minutes pass.

Nobody knows what to do.

There is no trained first responder nearby. There is no automated external defibrillator (AED). Nobody is confident enough to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The ambulance may take a long time or may not come at all.

Miraculously, somebody puts the unconscious person inside a private car, taxi, tricycle or motorcycle and rushes the person towards a hospital and in some cases, no one gets close to an inch beside the dying person until they take their last breath. Do you think if this could happen to you, your friend, you mother or father or husband or wife or child, you'll be able to forgive yourself and forget?

By then, the most important window for saving that person's life may already have been lost.

This is not simply a medical problem. It is a public-safety problem.

And it raises a difficult question for Nigeria:

How many ordinary Nigerians can actually perform CPR or basic first aid if somebody suddenly collapses beside them? 

Another one is if someone is involved in an accident and you're there, instead of helping them, you hear people who cannot come close asking you not to give them water if the asked for water and you'll be surprised that if they know this much, why are they not coming closer.

The honest answer is that Nigeria does not appear to have a reliable national figure showing what proportion of the population is trained and currently competent in CPR. That absence of data is itself part of the problem.

https://mannurmedia.blogspot.com/2026/07/nigerias-data-deficit.html

What we do know is troubling.

A 2026 study examining out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Nigeria found that only 15.2% of patients received pre-hospital resuscitation attempts. Ambulances were called in only a small proportion of cases, and among those calls, an ambulance arrived in just 34.6%. Only 1.8% of the patients studied survived to hospital discharge.

Those numbers should force Nigeria to rethink what happens between the moment somebody collapses and the moment that person reaches a hospital.

From recent example is the APC chairman of Ijumu local government area of Kogi State in person of Mayowa Oyewole Solomon who slumped and died at a peace and reconciliation meeting at Iyara Town Hall on the 21st of August 2026.

The First Few Minutes Belong to the Public.

When cardiac arrest happens, the hospital is not the first place where the battle for survival begins.

It begins wherever the person collapses.

That could be a Lagos bus stop.

A Kano market.

A school classroom in Kaduna.

A football pitch in Ibadan.

A nightclub in Abuja.

A mosque.

A church.

A shopping centre.

A factory.

An office.

A university campus.

A roadside.

A restaurant.

Or even directly outside a pharmacy.

The first people around the victim are usually not doctors.

They are ordinary citizens.

That means Nigeria's emergency-care system cannot depend exclusively on hospitals and ambulances. The community itself must become the first layer of the emergency response system.

Getting this right will increase the life expectancy of the people.

Not everyone can go to the hospital for medical checkup as a result of poverty and not exposing once self to danger, how many hospitals are there that both patients and people who came for check up will be attended to in time, as a matter of fact, hospitals are supposed to prioritise patients than people who came for check up if they're not feeling anything is wrong with them.

This is what is commonly described as the "chain of survival": recognising an emergency, activating emergency services, starting CPR when appropriate, using an AED when available, providing advanced care and getting the patient to definitive medical treatment.

If the first links fail, the ambulance may arrive too late to reverse the damage.

What Happens When Nobody Knows CPR?

Consider a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

They may collapse without warning.

They may become unresponsive.

They may not breathe normally, or may only make abnormal gasping movements.

To an untrained crowd, this can look like fainting, seizure, stroke, intoxication or simply "sleep."

People may begin arguing about what happened instead of immediately recognising a life-threatening emergency.

Some may try to give the person water of which they cant take or that can hasten their death because giving water to an emergency patient like that can choke them if not administered properly. Water is supposed to be sipped but due to the emergency situation the person can gulp too much water thinking it will help their pain, they might have internal bleeding or cuts that the water giving to them can make the situation worse.

Others may slap the person's face.

Someone may attempt to make them sit up.

Someone may start searching for relatives.

Someone may insist that the person be taken to a hospital immediately.

And meanwhile, the person's brain and other organs are receiving little or no oxygenated blood.

This is mostly unlikely the cases i have witnessed. In my own case, it's either people are recording instead or blocking others from going close to the patient. And here is where some people steal their phones, wallet pretending to want to help call the patients contact.

Here raises another question. How do you save your contacts. Do you safe your parents number as mummy or mama or daddy or baba. Who would you love to be reached first incase you have an emergency. Do you have a contact on your phone saved as "Emergency" 

This is why CPR education matters.

CPR is not a substitute for professional medical care. It is bridge care an attempt to keep circulation going until more advanced help becomes available.

A person who knows what to do can potentially turn a crowd of frightened spectators into an emergency response team.

In the past, an heavily pregnant woman have no issues going to the market in her 9th month of pregnancy, market women can do as good as the hospital to help her push the baby out before she can then be taken to an hospital, do you still think it's possible today and in the nearest future? 

Nigeria Has a Bystander Problem and an Emergency-System Problem.

It would be unfair to blame everything on ordinary Nigerians.

Imagine being an untrained person standing over an unconscious stranger.

You may be afraid of causing harm.

You may fear being accused of causing the person's death.

You may not know whether the person has a contagious disease.

You may not know whether touching the person is safe.

You may fear that the person has been poisoned.

You may suspect that the person has been attacked.

You may simply have no idea what to do.

There is also a wider cultural problem.

In Nigeria, emergency scenes can quickly become crowded with spectators. Sometimes people record what is happening rather than help. A Nigerian organisation working in emergency response has specifically identified this culture of watching and recording rather than assisting as an issue it seeks to change through first-responder training.

Same way we're encouraged to have a fire extinguisher in our cars, we're supposed to have first respondent person in our communities, school, market, club, occasions, etc. 

But public behaviour cannot be separated from public education.

You cannot expect people to confidently perform a procedure they have never been taught.

And you cannot build a reliable emergency system by assuming that an ambulance will always arrive within minutes.

How many people know the numbers to call when such emergencies arise, i dont have, is it my fault, where would i find one, if you do, please add it to the comment, i can update this article with it.

The Pharmacist they refused to help a dying father of a friend i know.

A day after sallah, i was in my friends shop next to a pharmacy, and a man drove close by on his vespa bike. His tire was bad so he came to seek the service of a vulcanizer close to the road, then he fell while his work was ongoing. People came, stood by, watched and no one did anything, i was so sad, then i walked inside the chemist and asked the pharmacist why cant you help that dying man, i believe he buys drugs from you. He said it's not his job that his profession is to admit drugs. That time, i felt like not buying anything from him as well as not allowing anyone of my clique to patronize him but i checked online and see that he could even be in trouble if the man later died while he's trying. 

A pharmacy is not necessarily an emergency department, and pharmacists and pharmacy staff are not automatically equipped to manage every medical emergency.

But pharmacies occupy an interesting position in Nigerian communities.

They are often among the most accessible healthcare-related establishments. There are pharmacies or chemist as we know them in every suburbs in Nigeria.

People already associate them with medicine and healthcare.

They are frequently located along busy roads and inside densely populated neighbourhoods.

That makes pharmacies potentially valuable points in a community emergency network.

However, there is an important distinction:

A pharmacy should not be expected to become a hospital.

Instead, pharmacies could be incorporated into a wider first-response system.

Selected pharmacies could have:

- Staff trained in CPR and basic life support.

- A first-aid kit.

- An AED where practical and appropriate.

- A clear emergency-response protocol.

- Staff trained to recognise cardiac arrest and stroke.

- A system for contacting emergency services.

- Clearly displayed emergency contact information.

- A procedure for directing crowds away from the patient.

- Basic equipment for dealing with bleeding, choking and other emergencies.

The same principle could apply to banks, supermarkets, filling stations, hotels, schools, universities, gyms, sports centres, churches, mosques, factories and major workplaces.

The School System Should Be One of Nigeria's Biggest First-Responder Networks

Nigeria has millions of students.

That represents an enormous opportunity.

Imagine if secondary-school students were taught basic first aid and CPR as part of practical health education.

Not just memorising the definition of CPR for an examination.

Actually learning it.

Practising chest compressions on training manikins.

Learning how to recognise cardiac arrest.

Learning how to respond to choking.

Learning how to control serious bleeding.

Learning how to place an unconscious but breathing person in an appropriate recovery position.

Learning how to recognise the warning signs of stroke and immediately activate emergency help.

Students could leave secondary school with a practical life skill that could potentially save a parent, sibling, friend, teacher, colleague or stranger.

There is evidence that this idea is not completely new in Nigeria. A recent review of emergency medicine development in the country notes that first-aid education was taught in Nigerian primary and secondary schools decades ago, while organisations such as the Nigerian Red Cross played a role in first-aid education. The review says layperson first-responder training has since waned.

Perhaps Nigeria needs to bring it back this time at national scale.

Universities Should Produce First Responders Too.

Every university campus should have trained first responders.

Think about the size of Nigerian campuses.

Thousands or tens of thousands of students may be present at any given time.

There are lecturers.

Security personnel.

Drivers.

Cleaners.

Hostel managers.

Sports coaches.

Administrative workers.

Medical staff.

Student leaders.

Instead of waiting for an ambulance whenever a student collapses, a campus could have a network of trained responders distributed across faculties, hostels, sports facilities and major public areas.

The same model could work in polytechnics and colleges of education.

A university could even have a digital emergency system that alerts trained responders closest to the incident while simultaneously contacting professional emergency services.

Technology cannot replace medical professionals.

But technology can reduce the time between collapse and first intervention.

Workplaces Should Stop Treating First Aid as Just Another Certificate.

The number of red cross personnel is too small for the population, for Gods sake, what do the doctors and nurses that graduates every year in Nigeria do. Or are our medical graduates not useful to the public society.

Many Nigerian organisations have employees with certificates for numerous professional courses.

But how many employees can actually respond when a colleague collapses?

A workplace emergency plan should not exist only on paper.

Every large workplace should know:

Who is the first aider?

Who calls emergency services?

Who brings the first-aid equipment?

Where is the AED?

Who controls the crowd?

Who directs the ambulance to the exact location?

Who meets the ambulance at the gate?

What happens if the emergency occurs after working hours?

These are simple questions.

But in a genuine emergency, having the answers can make the difference between organised action and chaos.

Markets and Transport Hubs Need First Responders.

This may be even more important in Nigerian markets.

Markets are crowded.

People work long hours.

There are traders, customers, transport workers, security personnel and artisans.

Medical emergencies can happen at any time.

Nigeria should consider training selected market leaders, security personnel, transport workers, traders and other people who spend most of their day in these locations.

The same could apply to:

- Motor parks

- Train stations

- Airports

- Bus terminals

- Shopping centres

- Major markets

- Stadiums

- Event centres

- Nightclubs

- Hotels

- Religious centres

- Industrial areas

Instead of asking, "Who here is a doctor?", the question should become:

"Who here is a trained first responder?"

Nightclubs and Events Are Another Blind Spot.

Large gatherings deserve special attention.

Concerts.

Football matches.

Political rallies.

Festivals.

Nightclubs.

Weddings.

Conferences.

Religious gatherings.

Carnival.

Campaign.

Camping.

These events can bring thousands of people into one location.

Yet emergency planning is often focused heavily on security while medical preparedness receives less attention.

Every major event should have trained medical personnel and clearly defined emergency procedures.

For large venues, AED availability should also be considered according to risk, size and applicable standards.

A person should not collapse in a crowd of 5,000 people and have nobody capable of providing basic life support.

What About Stroke?

There is another important distinction.

Not every person who suddenly collapses needs CPR.

A stroke is different from cardiac arrest.

Someone having a stroke may remain conscious and breathing normally. CPR is not the treatment for a conscious, breathing stroke patient.

What the public needs to learn is recognition and rapid escalation.

A person with sudden facial weakness, arm weakness, speech difficulty, confusion, loss of balance or other sudden neurological symptoms needs urgent medical assessment.

The priority is rapid emergency activation and transportation to appropriate medical care not attempting to perform CPR on someone who does not need it.

This is why first-aid education should not be reduced to CPR alone.

Nigeria needs citizens who understand the difference between common emergencies.

First Aid Should Become Part of Citizenship.

We teach people how to drive.

We teach people how to operate businesses.

We teach people professional skills.

We teach students mathematics, physics, economics and computer science.

But there is another category of knowledge that arguably deserves much greater attention:

The way Entrepreneurship is a must for engineering students is supposed to be the same way first Aid response is supposed to be a must for every student.

How to keep another human being alive while professional help is coming.

This should be considered a basic civic skill.

You do not need to become a doctor.

You do not need to diagnose diseases.

You do not need to prescribe medication.

You simply need to know how to recognise an emergency and perform the appropriate immediate response within your level of training.

Nigeria does not seem to be Recognising the Problem.

There are no signs of progress.

In February 2026, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare began CPR, Basic Life Support and AED training for ministry staff, with support from the Nigerian Cardiac Society and other partners. The ministry said the initiative was intended to extend beyond government offices into communities, schools, workplaces and public spaces.

There are also Nigerian organisations that have been training first responders for years.

The Health Emergency Initiative says it has trained more than 46,000 first responders and has extended training to groups including transport workers, artisans, students and other community members.

These efforts are valuable.

But Nigeria is a huge country.

Training tens of thousands of people is impressive, yet it is still nowhere near creating a truly nationwide first-response network.

The question should therefore no longer be whether CPR training works.

The question is:

How do we make it universal enough to matter?

The Ambulance Cannot Always Be the First Responder

Nigeria needs better ambulances.

It needs better dispatch centres.

It needs trained paramedics.

It needs coordinated emergency numbers.

It needs better roads and traffic management.

It needs properly equipped emergency vehicles.

It needs emergency departments capable of receiving critically ill patients.

But while Nigeria builds these systems, there is another resource already sitting everywhere:

the Nigerian population itself.

A trained citizen can begin CPR before an ambulance arrives.

A trained security guard can recognise an emergency.

A trained teacher can respond when a student collapses.

A trained market trader can help a customer.

A trained pharmacist or pharmacy worker can activate an emergency protocol.

A trained bus driver can recognise a serious medical emergency.

A trained football coach can respond to a player who collapses.

A trained office worker can help a colleague.

This is not about replacing doctors.

It is about buying time.

The Numbers From Nigeria Should Alarm Us

The 2026 Nigerian out-of-hospital cardiac-arrest study provides an uncomfortable picture.

Of 387 cardiac-arrest cases examined, 38% occurred in public places including offices, markets, roadsides, parties, places of worship and sports fields. Yet pre-hospital resuscitation was attempted in only 15.2% of cases.

That means this is not simply a problem occurring inside people's homes.

It is happening in the exact public spaces where other Nigerians are present.

The same research found that private or public transportation was used to take patients to hospital in 95.3% of cases, while ambulances were used in only 1.8%.

That should make policymakers uncomfortable.

A country cannot build an effective emergency medical system around the assumption that a critically ill patient will simply be placed inside someone's car.

What Would a Safer Nigeria Look Like?

Imagine walking into a major Nigerian market and seeing a sign:

FIRST RESPONDER AVAILABLE HERE.

Imagine a school where five teachers and ten senior students have current CPR training.

Imagine a nightclub where security staff know how to recognise cardiac arrest and have immediate access to an AED.

Imagine a football stadium where trained responders can reach any section quickly.

Imagine a factory where every shift has trained first-aid personnel.

Imagine a university where an emergency alert immediately identifies trained responders within a few hundred metres of the incident.

Imagine pharmacies participating in community emergency networks.

Imagine major public buildings having AEDs that ordinary trained citizens can use.

Imagine a Nigeria where seeing someone collapse does not automatically produce a crowd of spectators.

Instead, someone says:

"Call emergency services."

Another says:

"Bring the AED."

Another says:

"I am trained. I'll start CPR."

That is what a resilient society looks like.

We Need a National First-Responder Strategy

Nigeria should consider establishing a coordinated national programme with measurable targets.

For example:

1. CPR education in schools.

Every secondary-school student should receive age-appropriate first-aid and CPR education, with practical training rather than theory alone.

2. First-responder certification in workplaces.

Large companies, factories, hotels, schools, event centres and public institutions should maintain trained first-aid personnel on every shift.

3. Community first responders.

Governments and NGOs could train selected market leaders, transport workers, security personnel, religious workers, artisans and community volunteers.

4. AED deployment.

High-risk and high-footfall public locations should progressively receive AEDs alongside trained personnel and maintenance programmes.

An AED is only useful if people know where it is, know how to access it and can use it appropriately.

5. Better emergency dispatch.

Nigeria needs emergency communication systems that actually connect callers to coordinated responders and provide appropriate instructions while help is being mobilised.

6. Ambulance accountability.

Emergency services should publish measurable performance indicators, including response times, geographic coverage, equipment availability and patient outcomes.

7. Public CPR campaigns.

CPR should become as recognisable as road-safety education.

Television.

Radio.

Social media.

Schools.

Religious centres.

Football.

Markets.

Workplaces.

Government campaigns.

8. Regular refresher training.

CPR is a practical skill. People who learn it once and never practise may lose confidence or competence.

Training must therefore be repeated.

The Most Important Question Is Not "Who Is a Doctor?"

It is:

"Who knows what to do right now?"

That is a very different question.

When someone collapses, you may have 100 people around them and still have nobody capable of responding.

Or you could have 20 people around them and three trained first responders.

The second situation is safer.

Nigeria does not necessarily need every citizen to become medically qualified.

But it should aim to make basic emergency response knowledge widespread enough that a person collapsing in public is not surrounded by helpless spectators.

A Country's Emergency Preparedness Is Measured Before the Ambulance Arrives

Nigeria has spent years discussing hospitals, doctors, drugs, medical equipment and healthcare funding.

All of these matter.

But emergency medicine begins before the patient reaches the hospital.

The first person who sees the collapse matters.

The person who calls for help matters.

The person who starts CPR matters.

The person who finds the AED matters.

The person who keeps the crowd away matters.

The ambulance driver matters.

The paramedic matters.

The emergency department matters.

Every link matters.

If one link repeatedly fails, the entire chain becomes weak.

Nigeria's recent research shows that the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains seriously