Varsity Expels Nursing Student, Suspends 14 Over TikTok Video

Madonna University, Elele Campus in Rivers State, has expelled a final-year nursing student identified as Mercy and suspended 14 other 500-level students over a viral TikTok video.

The video showed nursing students dancing in a hospital waiting area, staircase and bus as part of a social-media trend known as the “Gen Z nurses” challenge.

Mercy appeared in the opening section of the video, dancing in a hospital hallway. The clip carried the caption, “No fall sick o, na Gen Z full hospital now.”

The video was reportedly recorded at the university’s Elele Campus and uploaded in August. A shorter version later circulated widely on social media, reportedly attracting more than 1.7 million views on X.

University Response

The university’s Public Relations Officer, Chima Achu, confirmed the disciplinary action in an interview with Premium Times.

Achu said the students recorded the video inside the university’s teaching hospital and posted it with the controversial caption.

He said the university was preparing a formal response, adding that its official position would be released on Monday.

The university’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs also told PUNCH that the institution would formally respond to the controversy.

Calls for Clemency

The disciplinary action has triggered appeals from student bodies and some members of the healthcare community.

The National Universities Nursing Students’ Association, through its National President, Madu Valentine, and Secretary-General, Ogwuche Joy, said it had opened discussions with relevant authorities over the sanctions.

The National Association of Nigerian Students, led by its National President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, also appealed to Madonna University to reconsider the expulsion.

Afeez acknowledged that the students’ conduct was inappropriate but urged the university to replace the expulsion with a stern warning, citing the students’ academic investment and future careers.

The controversy has meanwhile renewed debate over social-media conduct, professional ethics and appropriate disciplinary measures for students undergoing healthcare training.

Source: Punch