Lagos Govt Shuts Illegal Nursing College In Ikorodu

The Lagos State Directorate of Nursing Services (DNS), the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of Lagos State, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Lagos State branch, sealed off Tower College of Health Sciences in Gberigbe, Ikorodu, on Thursday for operating an illegal nursing programme.

Our correspondent gathered that an enforcement team led by Comrade Ayobami Amusan of the Nurses and Midwives Association and the Director of Nursing Services in the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Sola Aketi, backed by the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), stormed the school premises to enforce the closure.

During the operation, the college’s director, Femi Ajekigbe, was arrested and taken into custody for questioning and further legal action by the state.

Fielding questions from journalists after the closure, the Lagos State Ministry of Health Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Sola Aketi, noted that the institution had been notified of the imminent closure after an inspection team from the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of the state had earlier visited the institution in January 20, 2025, to assess its compliance with standards but several irregularities were uncovered.

According to her, the team led by Dr Oladapo Olawale, alongside Nurse Ilawole, Comrade Ayobami Amusan and Comrade Idowu Osuntuyi, reported that Tower College of Health Sciences failed to meet basic academic and infrastructural requirements for nursing education and consequently lacked accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

She confirmed that Tower College is just one of many unaccredited institutions operating in Lagos State. She vowed to extend the clampdown to other illegal nursing schools, as the state will no longer condone such dangerous death traps.

Aketi said, “As a result of this closure, the illegal institution will cease all nursing training and educational activities with immediate effect.

“We have several of these schools across the state, and we will not stop until they are all shut down. Any further operation of the college is considered unauthorised and dangerous to the people of Ikorodu and Lagos in general,” she added.

She warned that the activities of these unapproved health institutions are dangerous and detrimental to the well-being of any society, weakening the state’s healthcare delivery system. She has established an anti-quackery team to eradicate all activities of such institutions and individuals, promoting a healthy society. This is Lagos.

Olawale Oladapo, PhD, who led the team on January 20, 2025, advised the association and the state government that the school lacked the basic requirements needed for accreditation. Consequently, he included in his report the immediate closure of the illegal school for the safety of the people.