A 500-level nursing student expelled by Madonna University, Rivers State, over a viral TikTok video has pleaded with the school to reconsider its decision and give her and other affected students another chance.
The student said she is finding it difficult to tell her mother about the expulsion after spending years studying nursing.
“How do I explain to my mother? I’m one of the dozen students that was expelled. After all these years, how do I explain to my mother?” she said in an emotional video that has gone viral.
The students were sanctioned after a video of nursing students dancing inside the university’s teaching hospital surfaced online.
The video, part of the “Gen Z nurses” trend, showed students dancing in a waiting area, staircase and bus. It was reportedly captioned, “No fall sick o, na Gen Z full hospital now,” and was posted in August before social media blogs helped spread it.
A 15-second version posted on X on September 1 reportedly gained over 1.7 million views, while the original TikTok account was later made private.
Madonna University confirmed the video was filmed inside its teaching hospital and took disciplinary action against those involved.
While some Nigerians backed the decision, others called for leniency.
NANS President Akinteye Babatunde Afeez admitted the conduct was inappropriate but urged the university to reconsider.
“Expulsion is, by far, a grave punishment. Beyond the immediate academic consequences, it can fundamentally alter the course of a young person’s life,” Afeez said.
NANS later urged the school to replace the expulsion with a stern warning, saying the students had invested years, resources and hopes in their nursing careers.
“We appeal to the compassion and clemency of the Management of Madonna University to please save their future and give them a second chance.”
Her plea comes as NANS, NUNSA and other stakeholders continue pushing for the students to be given another opportunity.
