The Ogun State Government has sealed an unapproved nursing school in Ifo for operating below regulatory standards and without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, warning that it will not tolerate institutions that endanger public health.
The closure followed a joint monitoring exercise by officials from the State Ministry of Health and the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee, who discovered that the facility was offering nursing-related programmes in substandard conditions without the mandatory approval of the Council.
Confirming the action, the Chairman of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee and Acting Director of Nursing Services, Serifat Aminu, said the Ministry was first alerted to the institution through a post on the Ogun State Government’s official X handle, which was later corroborated by a whistleblower’s email to the Council.
“The alert was relayed to the State authorities within two hours, prompting immediate action,” she said.
Acting on the tip-off, Aminu explained, a monitoring team comprising Ministry officials and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee visited the facility, identified as Universal Public Health Science in Ifo.
The team found that the centre was offering Community Health, Public Health, and Nursing programmes without the required approval, stressing that only the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has the statutory mandate to regulate nursing education nationwide.
Aminu further revealed that the facility was grossly inadequate for health training, with a three-bedroom apartment serving as its administrative office and adjoining shop spaces furnished with old wooden benches used as lecture rooms.
“The owner, Mr. Elugbadebo Damilola Peter, did not deny running the programmes, but there is no accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Ministry of Health has no record of any 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,” Aminu added.
