From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah has disclosed that the reasons behind his administration’s deliberate commitment of huge resources to the training of students studying nursing and midwifery in the state was to create career opportunities for them to excel in the medical profession.

This was even as students from the Enugu State College of Nursing Sciences expressed appreciation to the governor for transforming the once moribund, unaccredited School of Nursing from only Ordinary National Diploma (OND) to a digital, world-class College of Nursing Sciences where Higher National Diploma (HND) and other certificates would be awarded to enable them mobilise for national service.

The governor, who made the disclosure at the maiden matriculation ceremony of the 2024 set of the Parklane and Awgu campuses of the nursing college held in Enugu on Wednesday, further explained that the state’s effort in upgrading the institution and ensuring that students were expose to the best learning techniques, medical equipment and technology, was in fulfillment of its campaign promise of building a healthy society.

“At the heart of our administration is a deep commitment to education, and this is reflected in initiatives that aim to uplift students, institutions, and communities. Education is the foundation for growth, empowerment, and transformation, and nursing education, in particular, is crucial in building a healthier society,” he noted.

Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the bold move and the can-do spirit initiative of the administration that led to guaranteeing the future of the people and transforming the state into a hub of medical tourism led to the accreditations of the college and other medical institutions by Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

According to him, at the heart of the administration was the commitment to build a quality, tech-driven 260 Smart Green Schools education programme which integrates technology with digital skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and a ground-breaking healthcare delivery system that necessitated the building of 260 Type-2 Healthcare Centres that would serve as lifeline for communities, address preventable diseases, reduce infant and maternal mortality and improve the overall health outcomes.

While encouraging the students to see the path they had chosen as a profession that required dedication, hard-work, compassion and service, the governor insisted that the state was not committing the huge resources on the students for them to japa after their studies, saying there are opportunities in the state and the country for them to fulfill their dreams.

Commending the governor for the fortification of the health sector with ultra-modern medical facilities, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yomi Jaye, said Enugu state is one of the first states in the federation to key into the collegial status where students are awarded multiple certificates such as OND, Registered Nurse, Registered Midwifery and HND.

He assured that the state was already putting in place world-class facilities at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospitals, the Enugu International Hospital, the Type-3 and Type-2 healthcare centres as a deliberate step of curbing the Japa syndrome.

In her opening remarks, the Acting Provost of the college, Dr. Nkechi Ani, highlighted some of the notable achievements of the governor since assumption of office to include upgrade of infrastructure, construction of a fully-equipped ICT centre, frequent staff training and development, entrepreneurship training in digital and software skills, international course in the University of Washington and provision of other logistics for staff and students.

Expressing delight, Ogbodo Rita Uchenna, who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, said with governor Mbah’s intervention which led to the upgrade of their school to college, they now earn four different certificates after their training which would enable them to work anywhere across the globe.

She added that with the new facilities in their campuses, they could compete and outsmart universities’ students in the country. “We even do more than students in universities with the technology we now have. In fact, we don’t do pen and paper things again in our studies.”