The Lagos State Government has sealed the Tower College of Health Sciences in Gberigbe, Ikorodu, over its operation of an unaccredited nursing programme.
The enforcement, carried out on Thursday, was led by a joint task force comprising officials from the Directorate of Nursing Services (DNS) of the state Ministry of Health, the Nursing and Midwifery Committee of Lagos State, and the Lagos chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM). The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) provided security support during the operation.
During the exercise, the college director, Femi Ajekigbe, was arrested and taken into custody for questioning and further legal action.
Speaking after the closure, Sola Aketi, Director of Nursing Services at the Lagos Ministry of Health, said the school had been “previously notified of the imminent shutdown.”
She recalled that an inspection team from the state’s Nursing and Midwifery Committee visited the institution on January 20 and discovered multiple irregularities.
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According to her, the team found that the college failed to meet “basic academic and infrastructural requirements for nursing education” and therefore lacked accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
“As a result of this closure, the illegal institution will cease all nursing training and educational activities with immediate effect,” Aketi declared.
“We have several of these schools across the state, and we will not stop until they are all shut down.”
Aketi added that Tower College was among several unapproved institutions operating in the state, emphasising that the government would intensify its clampdown on what she described as “dangerous death traps.”
Dr. Oladapo Olawale, who led the initial inspection of the college, had earlier recommended its immediate closure. His report revealed that the school “had no demonstration room, no hospital affiliation for clinical postings, and no hostel accommodation for students.”
Olawale said it was alarming that some students were already in their 300-level courses “without undergoing any clinical training and resource verification from the nursing council.”
The inspection committee subsequently advised the government to withdraw all students and revoke the licenses of individuals parading themselves as nursing tutors without proper approval.
Based on this recommendation, the state’s Nursing and Midwifery Committee and the Ministry of Health issued a formal closure notice to the college. The letter cited the institution’s “failure to meet minimum standards for accreditation, non-compliance with repeated warnings, and evidence of substandard training” as grounds for the decision.
Authorities said the infractions posed a significant threat to “the health, safety, and well-being of students and the public.”
The school premises have since been sealed and placed under surveillance to prevent any further unauthorised activity.
