Delta State government and its State College of Nursing Sciences, Agbor, have disagreed over why a student of the school, Osato Edobor, should be queried by the school management for her role in an incident involving first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
While the state government said what transpired at the Event Centre in Asaba was not an entirely accurate representation of the situation, the school management has queried Edobor after a video showing students of the school appearing to ridicule the president’s wife went viral on TikTok.
In the video, the nursing students could be heard rejecting Mrs Tinubu as their mother.
The query letter dated March 27, 2025, was signed by the provost of the institution, Mrs Rita Evbodaghe, accusing Edobor of singing and recording during the incident as well as circulating the video online.
The management said her conduct contravened provisions of the student handbook.
“It has come to the notice of the school authority that you, Student Nurse Osato Edobor on March 25, 2025 during official visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at Dome Event Centre, Asaba for the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme and distribution of 10,000 Professional Kits (Crocs and Scrubs) to midwives in the South South Zone, was found to be engaged in a malicious act of recording/singing and posting unofficial response to song during the arrival of the First Lady (found on your TitTok Page),” the letter read in part.
The management said Edobor’s alleged action “is a punishable offence as enshrined in the Students Handbook under standardised disciplinary action for some punishable offences No. 8, Page 21.” She was given 24 hours to respond and explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.
But the commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, clarified that despite some disappointment among the nurses, there was no incident of hostility or bullying during the visit.
He explained that the nurses were initially welcoming, happy, and even danced while cheering the First Lady during her speech, though a few of them playfully expressed their feelings by singing a different tune in response to the situation.
Aniagwu stated that the reaction of some students was taken out of context and misrepresented on social media by individuals who sought to fit the event into their own narratives.
Addressing the viral video, Aniagwu categorically stated that the first lady did not visit the School of Nursing in Agbor.
He explained that the nurses present at the event had certain expectations regarding the distribution of medical kits and that the First Lady had apologised to them during the presentation, clarifying that the current phase of donations was specifically targeted at midwives.
The first lady had assured the nurses that they would receive their turn in due course through the Renewed Hope Initiative.
However, some nurses who had expected equal treatment alongside the midwives were disappointed.
“Despite this, there was no incident of hostility or bullying during the visit, the nurses were initially happy, dancing and cheering as the first lady spoke, but a few of them expressed their feelings playfully by singing a different tune in response to the situation.
“This reaction was taken out of context by certain individuals on social media, who misrepresented the events to fit their own narratives. The viral video, therefore, does not accurately reflect the atmosphere or what truly transpired at the gathering.
“As a government, we express our profound appreciation for the first lady’s visit and her initiatives. We emphasise that the reaction seen in the video is not characteristic of our nurses but rather a response from a few individuals who had hoped for equal treatment with midwives,” Aniagwu said.
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