Ogun govt seals college’s nursing department over illegal operation

The Ogun State Government has sealed the Nursing Department of the Harvarde College of Science Business and Management Studies in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The department was on sealed on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, for operating without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

The enforcement team comprised officials of the enforcement team of the Ogun State Ministry of Health and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee (SNMC).

Speaking during the enforcement exercise, the Permanent Secretary of the Ogun Ministry of Health, Dr Kayode Oladehinde, said the private institution had been offering a degree programme in Nursing Sciences.

He added that this had been ongoing for about six years without accreditation from the regulatory body.

Oladehinde, who was represented by the Acting Director of Nursing Services, Serifat Aminu, said such unauthorised programme contributed to quackery in nursing and posed a threat to public health.

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According to him, the nursing department of the institution will remain sealed until fully accredited.

The permanent secretary described a degree in nursing obtained from Harvarde College and similar institutions without NMCN accreditation as worthless, saying graduates would be unable to obtain a valid license to practice in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

He said: “We have discovered that many institutions, including Harvarde College, offer nursing degrees to unsuspecting students.

“Our mission is to clamp down on such institutions because they end up producing quacks in the nursing profession.

“This is dangerous for society. Unfortunately, most students are unaware that their time is being wasted.”

Oladehinde enjoined parents and candidates desiring to pursue nursing or related programmes to conduct due diligence by checking the NMCN website for a list of accredited institutions, saying the regulatory body updated the list yearly.

He warned parents to be cautious of institutions making false claims, assuring that the Ogun State Government would continue to work diligently against quackery in both the education and practice of the nursing profession in the state.

Speaking, a 300-level student, who declined to be named, expressed shock at the institution’s lack of accreditation, regretting the amount of money her parents had spent on the programme on her behalf.

The Star