NANS, NUNSA Seek Clemency Over Madonna University Nursing Student’s Expulsion
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students’ Association (NUNSA) have appealed to Madonna University, Rivers State, to reconsider the expulsion of a final-year nursing student following a viral social media video recorded within the university’s teaching hospital.
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The student bodies have acknowledged that the conduct of the students involved was inappropriate, but are urging the university to reconsider the severity of the punishment, particularly the expulsion.
The case has also sparked a wider conversation about professional discipline, social media conduct and whether punishment in nursing education should prioritise correction alongside accountability.
What happened at Madonna University?
The controversy began after a video showing nursing students dancing in different locations on the university’s Elele campus in Rivers State circulated widely online.
The footage showed students dancing in areas including a hospital waiting area, a staircase and a bus. The video was reportedly part of a social media trend involving healthcare workers and nursing students.
It carried a Pidgin English caption along the lines of, “No fall sick o, na Gen Z full hospital now.”
Reports indicate that the video was uploaded in August before gaining wider attention on social media in September. A 15-second version shared by Yabaleftonline on September 1 reportedly attracted more than 1.7 million views on X.
The video was recorded on the premises of Madonna University’s Elele campus, including its teaching hospital.
Madonna University’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Chima Achu, confirmed that disciplinary action had been taken over the video and said the university was preparing an official response.
One student expelled, 14 suspended
There was initially confusion over the extent of the university’s disciplinary action.
NANS later clarified that one nursing student was expelled, while 14 other 500-level students were suspended.
The clarification followed earlier reports suggesting that all the students involved had been expelled.
According to NANS, the student who reportedly made the social media post that triggered the controversy was the one expelled, while the other students involved received suspension.
The distinction is significant because the disciplinary measures have different academic consequences.
The affected students are reportedly in their final year of nursing education, meaning the sanctions have come at a particularly advanced stage of their training.
NANS asks Madonna University to temper justice with mercy
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NANS has acknowledged that the students’ actions fell below the standard expected of nursing students.
In its October 3 statement, the association described the conduct as inappropriate and contrary to the professional ethics expected of trainee nurses.
However, NANS appealed to Madonna University to reconsider the expulsion and replace it with a stern warning or another less severe disciplinary measure.
The association argued that the students had already invested years of study, financial resources and personal effort in pursuing nursing.
It also warned that expulsion at this stage could have lasting consequences for a student’s academic and professional future.
NANS stressed that its position should not be interpreted as support for indiscipline.
Rather, it argued that discipline should correct and guide students while giving them an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The association also urged Nigerian students to understand that although they have the right to express themselves, such expressions must remain within the rules and regulations governing their institutions.
NUNSA joins the call for a review
NANS is not alone in seeking a review of the sanctions.
The National Executive Council of NUNSA has also intervened in the matter, saying it had begun discussions with relevant stakeholders.
NUNSA National President, Madu Emmanuel Valentine, and Secretary General, Ogwuche Mary Joy, said the association was working towards what it described as a fair, just and favourable resolution for the affected students.
The association said it was engaging the university and other relevant authorities to formally communicate its concerns and represent the welfare interests of the students.
NUNSA’s intervention is particularly significant because the organisation describes itself as the national student body advocating for clinical integrity, student welfare and progressive reforms across university nursing programmes in Nigeria.
The debate: professionalism or disproportionate punishment?
The sanctions have generated divided reactions.
For some healthcare professionals and members of the public, the university was right to act.
Their argument is straightforward: a hospital is not simply another social space, and nursing students are being prepared for a profession in which dignity, patient safety, confidentiality and professional conduct are fundamental.
The concern is not necessarily that the students danced. Rather, it is where the content was created, how it portrayed the clinical environment and the professional image associated with the nursing uniform.
Others, however, have questioned whether expulsion is proportionate, particularly when the students are at the final stage of their nursing education.
That argument does not require dismissing the misconduct.
It asks a different question: Could the same lesson have been taught through a punishment that was serious enough to deter similar conduct without permanently ending a student’s academic journey?
Suggestions raised in public reactions have included suspension, community service or other corrective measures.
Nursing is a profession of discipline
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The debate also highlights something that people outside nursing may not always appreciate: nursing is a highly disciplined profession.
From clinical practice to professional communication, appearance and conduct, nursing students are expected to meet standards that may appear stricter than what is accepted in ordinary social settings.
A dress, hairstyle, manner of communication or social-media post that might attract little attention elsewhere can become a professional issue when it involves a nurse or nursing student.
This is because nursing is built on public trust.
Nurses work with people at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. They are expected to protect patients’ dignity, respect professional boundaries and understand that their actions can influence how the public perceives the profession.
That standard should not be weakened.
But discipline and mercy can exist together.
Fellow Nurses Africa adds its voice for clemency
Against this background, Fellow Nurses Africa is also adding its voice to the call for clemency.
The organisation recognises the importance of professional discipline and does not seek to excuse conduct that falls below the standards expected of nursing students.
However, it believes the punishment may be too severe, particularly where the affected student is already in the final year of a professional programme.
The call is therefore for Madonna University to temper justice with mercy and consider whether a strong but corrective sanction could achieve the same purpose without permanently closing the door on the student’s nursing education.
The issue is not whether the students should be held accountable.
They should.
The question is whether accountability must always mean the end of an educational journey.
For a profession that demands discipline, responsibility and lifelong learning, there is also value in giving students the opportunity to make mistakes, accept consequences, learn from them and become better professionals.
A wider lesson for nursing education
The Madonna University case offers nursing schools and students across Nigeria an opportunity for reflection.
Social media is now deeply embedded in the lives of young people, including healthcare students. Nursing education therefore cannot address professional conduct only within lecture halls and clinical postings.
Students also need clear guidance on digital professionalism: what is appropriate to post, where content can be created, how professional uniforms should be represented online, and how seemingly harmless content can affect patients, institutions and the wider nursing profession.
At the same time, disciplinary systems should be clear, proportionate and capable of distinguishing between misconduct that requires correction and conduct that genuinely warrants the most severe sanction.
The final question is therefore not whether nursing students should be disciplined.
They should.
It is whether discipline can protect the standards of nursing while still leaving room for mercy, rehabilitation and second chances.
As NANS and NUNSA appeal to Madonna University, the response from the institution could ultimately become more than a decision about one viral video. It could contribute to a much broader conversation about how nursing education in Nigeria balances professional standards, accountability and the future of the students it is training.
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Fellow Nurses Africa is the independent voice of African nursing, we educate, inform and support nurses across Africa.
Durowoju Abisola is a registered nurse, nurse writer and On-Air Correspondent at Fellow Nurses Africa (FNA), passionate about nursing leadership, health education and advocacy.
Through journalism, storytelling and content creation, she amplifies important conversations around nursing, healthcare and the experiences of nurses in Nigeria. She is committed to using her voice and professional knowledge to educate the public, challenge misconceptions and inspire the next generation of nurses.
