Posted on: Fri 14-06-2024

A fresh crisis is in the offing in the Delta government-owned Colleges of Nursing Science following the alleged cancellation of Preliminary Training Studies (PTS) examinations by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, of Nigeria (NMCN) over the manner the exams were being conducted in the State.

But Delta Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, described the report of cancellation of the examinations by NMCN as baseless.

A group of Concerned Parents of children in College of Nursing Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, in a save-our-soul letter signed by Mr Paul Erakpobruke and Mr Johnson Ovwile Ejiro to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori appealed he stepped in to arrest the ugly trends in Delta Colleges of Nursing to safeguard the future of their children.

They alleged that the authorities of NMCN decided to cancel the PTS Exam conducted in the state because it was marred by malpractices and corruption after NMCN conducted an independent and thorough investigation into the issues raised against the PTS Exam and allegedly found them to be true.    

They frowned at the action of Commissioner Onojaeme whom they accused of hiding the fact of the cancellation of the PTS Exam from the Governor but allegedly window shopping in an attempt to compromise some directors NMCN to get some of the student indexed through the back door.

According to parents: “Good Deltans, we have been vindicated. The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has cancelled the PTS Exam and the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme is hiding this fact from the Governor of Delta State.

“The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria conducted an independent and thorough investigation of the issues raised against the PTS Exam and found them to be true.

“The good people of Delta state are now asking Dr. Joseph Onojaeme who is actually corrupt. This Commissioner and his team can no longer deceive us. We now know the truth that this Commissioner who claims to be fighting corruption is the one aiding and abetting the corruption that is destroying the Nursing profession right now in Delta State.

“One would have expected that with the cancellation of the PTS Examination, the Commissioner would feel remorse and try to amend his ways. On the contrary, he has put in place a wicked agenda to ensure that many candidates who sat for the PTS Exam that has been cancelled will not have the privilege of rewriting it.

“This write-up is aimed at alerting the entire people of Delta State the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has cancelled the PTS Exam which was carried out without due process and to be on alert so that their children will not be excluded from rewriting the Exam when the Ministry is ready to conduct another one.

“Accordingly, we plead with His Excellency, the Governor, to take urgent steps to avert the impending calamity that will befall the Colleges of Nursing Sciences in the state.”

According to their letter, over 200 students registered for the PTS Exams at Agbor, Warri about 150 students, Eku about 150 students, Asaba about 100 students; while Sapele about 100 registered students for the examination, and that if nothing is done urgently for them to retake the exam, their hope of acquiring a Nursing education will have been dashed.

They appealed that for equity and fairness, students sent home as a result of the poorly conducted PTS Exam be called back to retake the examination.

But Delta Commissioner for Health debunked the allegation that NMCN cancelled the PTS Exam held in Delta, urging Deltans and welling Nigerians to disregard the claim as nothing of such happened.

Onojaeme said: “PTS Exam is not cancelled, they are currently doing Transcript valuation for transcript purposes, nothing more.

“The PTS exam is not an examination that tests the knowledge of the students, it’s just an exam to regularized them, that is all.  The PTS Exam will stand, they have started their indexing.

“The PTS exam is at no cost to the students and it’s not an exam that will cause them to fail and be out of school, so, I don’t know why they are scared of such an exam.

“Take this from me, the PTS Exam has not been cancelled, I was with the Registrar of the Nursing Council, Mr Faruk two weeks ago and we didn’t discuss PTS, our discussions were centred on how he could increase the indexing number because of the pressure on admission from Delta State.  

“No student was asked to drop out of any of our schools on account of this PTS Exam, because it’s just like an aptitude test and not the main Council exams, you can record this call and hold me responsible on this point.”

SOURCE: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

---

---