Nigerian nurse licence revoked in Australia after tribunal finds repeated sleeping on duty at an aged care facility.
A Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has been stripped of her nursing licence in Australia after a tribunal ruled that her actions placed elderly residents at serious risk.
The decision was delivered by the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on January 20, following findings that Okembunachi repeatedly slept while on night duty at an aged care home in western Sydney.
Okembunachi, 25, began working at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford in February 2024. Within a short period, concerns were raised about her conduct during overnight shifts, leading to her suspension and eventual resignation.
Tribunal records showed that between March 13 and 27, she was often the only registered nurse on duty overnight. She was responsible for supervising up to four assistants-in-nursing and caring for nearly 100 residents.
On at least six occasions, the tribunal found that she failed to carry out her duties after falling asleep during her shifts. In three separate instances, residents missed prescribed doses of morphine as a result.
Evidence presented included an incident on March 21–22, when an assistant tried to wake her by turning on the nurses’ station light. She reportedly switched it off and returned to sleep moments later.
In another case on March 15, she instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer Panadol to a patient, despite the staff member not being authorised to give medication.
The matter was formally reported on March 27. The following day, Okembunachi received an email informing her of her suspension and inviting her to a meeting. She resigned shortly afterwards and declined to attend.
Originally from Nigeria, Okembunachi moved to Australia in 2018. She completed a Bachelor of Nursing Science in 2021 and was studying medicine at Western Sydney University at the time of the incident.
During the hearing, she admitted responsibility, describing the experience as stressful and acknowledging that accepting the role was a mistake. She said working night shifts compromised patient safety and affected her ability to supervise staff.
While the tribunal acknowledged her remorse, it ruled that deregistration was necessary, stating that her conduct had the potential to endanger patients’ lives.
She will not be eligible to apply for a review of the decision for at least nine months. Okembunachi has since stepped away from nursing and continues her medical studies with financial support from her family and government student assistance.
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