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Title: Barriers to Nuclear Medicine growth in Nigeria: Impact on radiography students' specialization interest Purpose To assess the key barriers to nuclear medicine growth and their impact on the level of interest of Nigerian radiography students in specializing in nuclear medicine. Method  A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online, semi-structured questionnaire designed with Google forms. The 20-item questionnaire covered demographics, interest in nuclear medicine specialization, perceived barriers and their impact. It was distributed among Nigerian radiography students in their third to fifth year of study. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was checked, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.9. Data from 191 respondents drawn from one university in each of the six Nigerian geopolitical zones between 15 July and 10 September, 2025 were analyzed using IBM SPSS 23, utilizing descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Results  Respondents were in their third (30%, n=57), fourth (31%, n=59), or fifth (39%, n=75) year of study. Only 32.0% (n=61) of students indicated strong interest (rating 4 and 5) in nuclear medicine. Infrastructural deficits 92(33%) and high funding and operational costs 47(16.8%) were mentioned most as the key barriers discouraging students in nuclear medicine. There was no strong relationship between these barriers and interest level (p=0.15). Consequently, (52.4%, n=100) students reported feeling moderately discouraged while (24.6%, n=47) were highly discouraged, and (23.0%, n=44) were mildly discouraged from pursuing a career in nuclear medicine. Conclusion Although interest in nuclear medicine exists among Nigerian radiography students, barriers like infrastructural deficits, and high funding and operational costs are significant deterrents. Addressing these challenges is crucial to fostering specialization and preventing a further decline in the utilization of nuclear medicine in Nigeria. Keywords: Nuclear Medicine, Radiography, Student, Barriers and Growth