Nigerian Dietitian Struck Off UK Register After Lying to Secure Senior a Job

A Nigerian dietitian who moved from Nigeria to the UK has been struck off the professional register after colleagues at Manchester Royal Infirmary exposed serious gaps in her basic knowledge and found she had lied on her job application.

Ifenyinwa Chizube Ndulue-Nonso started work as a Band 6 rotational dietitian on February 19, 2024, claiming in-depth experience with conditions like cancer, eating disorders, coeliac disease, dysphagia, and gastrointestinal issues.

NaijaChoice News reports that within days, senior staff raised alarms. She struggled to calculate BMI correctly, mixed up the small and large intestines, could not explain what the gallbladder does, and wrongly believed radiology treated heart failure.

Her line manager, Curtis Roberts, spotted inconsistencies during an induction meeting on February 28. Critical care dietetic lead Lorna Haywood started a supervision log after Ndulue-Nonso failed simple questions, including identifying feeding tubes and describing symptoms of dysphagia.

The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust suspended her in March 2024 and sacked her in August after an internal probe confirmed she was unsafe to practise. She was never allowed near patients unsupervised.

At the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service hearing held virtually from March 2 to 10, 2026, the panel ruled that Ndulue-Nonso deliberately overstated her skills in her August-September 2023 application and interview. She scored 28 out of 45 but had no real experience in most claimed areas.

The panel described her dishonesty as “premeditated and sustained.” She admitted overstating her knowledge “a bit” and blamed cultural differences or a “Nigerian perspective,” but the tribunal rejected this, noting she stood to gain UK residency and family benefits.

No patients were harmed because supervisors kept her away from direct care. The trust told NaijaChoice News it has since strengthened its recruitment checks and reported the case to the regulator promptly.

The HCPTS struck Ndulue-Nonso off the register, with an 18-month interim suspension order in place. This means she can no longer work as a dietitian anywhere in the UK.

The case has drawn attention among Nigerian health professionals abroad, highlighting the importance of honest qualification claims when seeking opportunities in the NHS.