19 Years After, ESUT Inducts 70 Pioneer Graduates Into Nursing Profession

In what has been described as a historic and emotional moment, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) on Tuesday inducted 70 pioneer graduates of its Department of Nursing Sciences into the nursing profession, bringing an end to a seven-year wait due to lack of accreditation.

The induction ceremony was conducted by the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), Alhaji Alhassan Ndagi, formally ushering the graduates into the noble healthcare profession.

This was even as the elated inductees, who began their academic journey in 2018 without accreditation for the programme, heaped praises on the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for turning their story around through decisive action and strategic intervention, acknowledging that without the governor’s timely support and provision of the facilities necessary for accreditation, their dreams might have ended in frustration.

Speaking at the colourful ceremony, the Chairman of the occasion and Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yomi Jaye, described the event as a celebration of vision, resilience, and political will. He recounted how the students had been plunged into despair following years of delay due to lack of accreditation until Governor Mbah assumed office and swiftly ensured the programme met the standards required by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the NMCN.

“At the beginning of this administration, we were saddled with the task of strengthening our nursing and medical education. We carried out a baseline assessment of all the institutions and discovered there was no accreditation for 19 years. We approached the NUC and the Nursing Council. The governor backed us with all the necessary support and resources, and we worked alongside the university day and night. Guess what? They didn’t just accredit them. they also indexed the backlog.

“Today is a manifestation of leadership with purpose. The governor’s commitment to revamping the education and health sectors through massive investments has not only brought smiles to these graduates but also reaffirmed our belief in a government that works. The people who should have graduated years ago are today graduating with joy because one man made it possible – the governor,” he added.

Dr. Jaye expressed optimism that the state, under Mbah’s leadership, would continue to clear existing backlogs in the coming months since all necessary accreditations had now been secured, as part of efforts to expand access to quality professional education for the state’s teeming youth population.

“Before now, the school had 50 admission slots, but with Governor Mbah’s intervention, it has been expanded to 120. And today, we’re audaciously pushing forward for 400.”

He also used the opportunity to charge the newly inducted nurses to carry out their duties with compassion and empathy, urging them to uphold the ethics of the profession and always place the welfare of patients above all else.

“You are trained to heal. Be kind, be humane. Let compassion guide your practice,” he advised.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Prof. Aloysius Okorie, described the ceremony as a turning point in the university’s history and praised Governor Mbah’s unwavering support, saying ESUT was proud to produce what he called “the best-trained nurses in Nigeria,” through the innovative teaching methods and experiential learning models introduced by the administration.

Prof. Okorie noted that the university had undergone significant transformation under the Mbah administration, with over 90 percent of its courses now fully accredited by the NUC and other professional bodies, because of the standard equipment, facilities, and human resources it parades.

“We’re seeing our teaching hospital becoming the best of its kind. Construction is ongoing, and we hope that once the 300-bed Enugu International Hospital is completed, we shall sign an MoU with them so our students can go there for their practical training,” he said.

Prof. Okorie added that ESUT now boasts 14 faculties running programmes such as Radiography, Public Health, Biochemical Engineering, among others, a testament to the university’s rising profile in Nigeria’s academic landscape. He further disclosed that the university had concluded an agreement with the state Ministry of Transport to dedicate four brand new CNG buses to the school for students and staff, with the cost to be subsidized by the management.

Also speaking at the event, the Provost of the ESUT College of Medicine, Prof. Uchenna Ekwochi, highlighted the governor’s landmark commitment to education, pointing out that 33% of the state’s annual budget is currently allocated to the education sector, – reportedly the highest of any state in Nigeria. He said this investment was already yielding tangible results in both the education and health sectors.

“This is leadership at its finest,” Prof. Ekwochi declared. “It takes vision to invest heavily in education, and it takes love for the people to make it a priority. Governor Mbah has demonstrated both, and the outcome is evident in this milestone today.”

He further stressed that, although the ESUT College of Medicine was established in 2006, the department of nursing sciences was not operating due to lack of accreditation by the appropriate authorities until 2018 when it formally kicked off.

While conducting the induction and oath-taking ceremony, the NMCN Registrar, Alhaji Alhassan Ndagi, expressed satisfaction with the resilience and commitment of the school management in ensuring quality education in the university system.

“I want to congratulate the Vice Chancellor and all members of the university management. You have done so well in grooming these graduands in both character and learning.”

Prof. Ndagi charged the newly inducted nurses to observe the ethics of the profession, maintain confidentiality, and attend to their patients with undivided attention.

In their heartfelt addresses, Ejiofor-Ozoagu Chidinma and Anumaka Chukwuebuka Godswill, representatives of the newly inducted nurses, thanked the governor for restoring their dignity and future.

“We came in 2018 full of dreams, but by 2023, those dreams had turned into despair,” one of them said. “But today, Dr. Peter Mbah has made those dreams come true. We are now nurses, and we are ready to serve. We feel very grateful to the governor for providing the best equipment in the Department of Nursing. The department is now well and fully equipped.”