The Ogun State Government has sealed an illegal nursing institution operating in Ifo following a joint monitoring exercise by the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee and officials of the Ministry of Health.

The Chairman of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee and Acting Director of Nursing Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Serifat Omobolanle Aminu, said the action was taken under the directives of the Honourable Commissioner for Health and the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr. Ndagi Al Hassan.

Dr. Aminu disclosed that the Ministry’s attention was drawn to an online post on the official Ogun State Government X handle, while a whistleblower also alerted the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria via email, which was relayed to the State within two hours.

She said the development prompted the immediate mobilisation of a monitoring team comprising officials of the Ministry of Health and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee to a facility identified as “Universal Public Health Science” in Ifo.

According to her, the team confirmed that the institution was running Community Health, Public Health and Nursing programmes without accreditation to conduct nursing training, stressing that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria is the statutory body responsible for regulating nursing education nationwide.

“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,” she said.

Dr. Aminu revealed that the facility, which has since been sealed, was grossly inadequate for health education, describing the administrative block as a three-bedroom flat and the lecture spaces as shop-like structures fitted with old wooden benches.

“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 said.

She emphasised the need for increased public sensitisation, urging parents and prospective students to verify the accreditation status of any health training institution with the Ministry of Health and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria before enrolment.

Dr. Aminu, however, noted that while individuals are free to establish institutions, due process must be followed through proper consultation with the Ministry and relevant regulatory bodies to secure accreditation and ensure the production of competent and qualified healthcare professionals