Enugu Governor Peter Mbah urged nursing students in the state to move forward after completing their studies, stressing the need to prevent brain consumption in the health care sector.
The governor appealed at his first admission ceremony at the 2024/2025 academic conference held at the Enugu State Nursing College on Thursday.
The MBAH highlights the significant investment the state has made in training nursing and midwife students, encouraging them to give back to the community after graduation, rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere.
According to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN), a total of 240 nursing students participated in the admissions, each from Parklane and Awgu campuses after the institution was promoted to a higher National Diploma (HND) awarded to the college.
Professor represented by the Secretary of State Government (SSG) Definition packageMbah expressed concern about “JAPA Syndrome”, which refers to the growing trend of professionals leaving Nigeria for better opportunities abroad – showing that it contradicts the state’s policies after a significant investment in training.
“We don’t train you after spending all this money on infrastructure and the first opportunity you bring to leave our healthcare facility.
“One thing that is very special about us is how we improve the conditions of service so that when you work hard to get a certificate, you don’t leave our state.
“That’s why we’re not only training scholars, so you can see that this is the service and if you can return to our budget in 2024 and 2025, the highest investment is education and health,” Mba said.
He further explained that the state government’s efforts to upgrade the university are aligned with the commitment to building a healthier society by providing students with cutting-edge learning tools, medical equipment and technology.
“This bold move and the government’s canned spirit initiative have led to a future for people and transformed the country into a medical tourism hub.
“This has led to accreditation from the colleges and other medical institutions of the Nigeria Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NMCN),He added.
The MBAH details how the transformation process began, and NMCN officials invited midwife school accreditation, a step that ensures students are indexed after two years of delay.
The certification formally recognizes them as student nurses and allows them to take NMCN professional exams.
Building on this success, the state government has undertaken further measures through commissions with the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) and NMCN to promote the upgrade of former nursing colleges to mature universities.
“This transformation requires a lot of investment and commitment, which the government provides wholeheartedly.
“Growth reflects the government’s commitment to expand access to quality nursing education across the state,” He said.
Special Adviser to the Governor, Ph.D. Yomi Jayecommending the Mbah government’s commitment to strengthening the health sector by providing modern medical infrastructure.
He noted that Enugu was one of the first states in the country to acquire its status as a cooperative nursing school.
He explained that this advancement now enables students to obtain multiple accredited graduations, including the General National Diploma (OND), Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Midwife (RM) and higher National Diploma (HND).
He added that students’ admissions have been raised from 50 to 240 as the institution upgrades, and are expected to be further expanded at the next academic conference to align with the state’s plan to establish 260 new primary health centers.
Dr. Jay also stressed that the state is investing in world-class medical facilities, including the Enugu University of Technology Teaching Hospital and Enugu International Hospital, as part of a strategy to stop “JAPA syndrome.”
