Lagos State government has sealed Tower College of Health Sciences in Gberigbe, Ikorodu, for operating an illegal nursing program.

A joint enforcement team on Thursday, comprising officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health through the Directorate of Nursing Services (DNS), the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of Lagos State, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwife (NANNM), Lagos State branch, with men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), stormed the school premises to enforce the closure.

During the operation, the Director of the college, Femi Ajekigbe was arrested and has been taken into custody for questioning and further legal action by the State.

Speaking to journalists after the closure, Mrs Sola Aketi, the Director of Nursing Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health 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 and 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 be considered unauthorized and dangerous to the people of Ikorodu and Lagos in general,” she added.

She warned that activities of these unapproved health institutions are dangerous and inimical to the well-being of any society and weaken the state healthcare delivery system.

Dr. Olawale Oladapo, who led the team in January 20, 2025 had advised the Association and the state government that the school lacked basic requirements needed for accreditation and so included in his report the immediate closure of the illegal school for the safety of the people.

In his report, he observed that, “the school had no demonstration room, no hospital affiliation for clinical postings, and no hostel accommodation for students who shockingly were already in their 300 level without undergoing any clinical training and resource verification from the nursing council.

“The inspection committee, however, recommended the immediate closure of the school, withdrawal of all students, and also the licenses of individuals parading themselves as nursing tutors without approval,” Oladapo noted.

Following the report, the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of the State and the Lagos State Ministry of Health issued a formal closure notice dated 20th February 2025, signed by Dr. Olawale Oladapo, Secretary of the Committee.

The letter stated that the decision to close the institution was due to failure to meet the minimum standards for accreditation as outlined in NMCN regulations, non-compliance with repeated warnings to correct identified deficiencies and evidence of substandard training and education, posing risks to the health, safety, and wellbeing of students and the public.

The premises have since been sealed and placed under surveillance to prevent any further unauthorized operation of the college as contrary action will be considered unauthorized and may result in legal action.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) on Sunday said that the student loan scheme has crossed one million applications on its official portal.

The organisation noted that this marked one of the biggest uptake levels for a government-backed social scheme since the start of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

NELFUND, in a statement by the Director, Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, stated that the milestone comes barely one year after the programme’s launch on 24 May 2024, describing it as proof that the student loan initiative is gaining strong national traction and public trust.

It said that over ₦116bn has so far been disbursed to students across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria, covering institutional charges and upkeep allowances.

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the development reflected the impact of the President Tinubu Renewed Hope policy drive on access to higher education.

The statement explained: “Crossing the one-million mark represents more than data; it represents renewed hope for a generation of Nigerians determined to rise above financial barriers to education.

“It is a testament to visionary leadership, sound policy design, and the collective efforts of all stakeholders driving this transformative agenda.”

NELFUND reiterated that it is committed to continuous process improvement to make sure “every qualified Nigerian student, regardless of background or location, can access education funding with transparency, efficiency, and dignity.”

The agency described the programme as non-discriminatory — saying it benefits Nigerians across religions and ethnic backgrounds — and is helping to unify national aspirations through equal learning opportunities.

It said it remains focused on ensuring “no Nigerian is denied the opportunity to learn, grow or contribute to national progress because of financial limitations.”

The immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has revealed that 239 first-class graduates employed as lecturers left the institution within seven years due to poor remuneration and harsh working conditions.

Speaking at The Punch Forum on Tuesday, August 26, Ogundipe disclosed that UNILAG had employed 256 first-class graduates between 2015 and 2022, but only 17 remained as of October 2023.

Ogundipe said, “At UNILAG, we decided that those with first-class honours should be employed. What is remaining is not up to 10 per cent. All of them have gone. One day, I asked the man in charge to give me this information. In 2015, 86 were employed; in 2016, 82; during my time, that is, 2017 to 2022, 88 were employed. As of October 2023, only 17 were on the ground. They have gone. Very soon, in the next 10 years, you will have only females in the universities if something is not done.”

He attributed the mass exit to poor salaries, lack of motivation, and worsening working conditions, adding that unless urgent reforms were made, universities would struggle to retain top talent and might admit ill-prepared postgraduate candidates.

“Many of us are tired. By the time you get home, there is no light, and the Federal Government is saying they are giving us N10m to access as loans. You can see how our lives have been devalued. Can I use N10m to build a security post?” he lamented.

Ogundipe further warned that the chronic underfunding of Nigeria’s education sector — with federal and state allocations consistently below 10 per cent of the national budget, far short of UNESCO’s recommended 15–26 per cent — was crippling infrastructure, research, and digital advancement.

He said, “The consequences of chronic underfunding are immediate and profound: Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children worldwide, estimated at between 10 and 22 million. Over 60 per cent of primary education funding is absorbed by teacher salaries, often with little left for capital expenditure or innovation.”

Calling for innovative funding, Ogundipe proposed public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, philanthropic contributions, education bonds, and technology-driven investments to bridge Nigeria’s education financing gap.

He stressed, “UNESCO positions innovative financing as a critical tool for bridging the nearly $100bn annual financing gap impeding educational attainment in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The private sector should see education support not just as social responsibility but as enlightened self-interest in building the workforce, the talent, and the markets of tomorrow.”

The former VC also urged alumni to give back through donations, mentorship, and research funding, while encouraging civil society, faith-based organisations, and the media to sustain pressure on the government to make education a national priority.