Ogun State Government has shut down an illegal nursing institution operating in Ifo local council for running academic programmes without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwives Council of Nigeria.

The illegal nursing school was discovered following a joint monitoring exercise embark by the officials of the state Nursing and Midwifery Committee in the State’s Ministry of Health.

Chairman of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee and Acting Director of Nursing Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Serifat Aminu, said that the crackdown on the illegal nursing institution follows the directives of the Honourable Commissioner for Health and the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr. Ndagi Al Hassan.

She revealed that the Ministry’s attention was drawn to the illegal institution through an online post on the Ogun State Government’s official X handle, followed by a whistleblower’s email alert to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, which was promptly relayed to the State authorities within two hours.

Based on the tip-off, Aminu said that a monitoring team comprising Ministry of Health officials and State Nursing and Midwifery Committee members, mobilised and swung into action to investigate a facility called ‘Universal Public Health Science’ in Ifo council area.

She stated that upon the investigation, the team found that Universal Public Health Science was offering Community Health, Public Health, and Nursing programmes without the required accreditation, stressing that only the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has the sole statutory responsibility to regulate nursing education across the country.

Aminu revealed the facility was terribly inadequate for health education, with a three-bedroom flat serving as the administrative block and lecture spaces that were essentially shops with old wooden benches.

She said, “The owner, Mr. Elugbadebo Damilola Peter, did not deny running the programmes, but there is no accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and the Ministry of Health has no record of such approval.”

“You cannot train future healthcare professionals in substandard conditions and expect safe outcomes; beyond endangering public health, students risk wasting years and scarce resources on certificates that will not be recognised, ultimately worsening the burden of quackery in the State,” she added.

The Acting Director stressed the importance of public awareness, advising parents and prospective students to check the accreditation status of health training institutions with the Ministry of Health and Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria before enrolling.

She opined that setting up institutions is fine, but due process is a must – consult the Ministry and regulatory bodies, get accreditation, and ensure competent pros come out.

(The Guardian)