The provost of the College of Nursing Sciences, National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna, Sarah Apeabu, has compelled graduating students enrolled in the Post Basic Otorhinolaryngology Nursing programme to pay N500 for a ‘reprinted’ photo album that the students have no business with.
Apeabu also halted clearance for those who had not paid for the reprinted album and has refused to release final results to students who had not complied. This was revealed and confirmed by multiple sources, including a petition written by students against the provost’s actions.
According to Halima Sani (real name withheld), a student enrolled in the programme, the students, through their Student Union Government (SUG), decided to make a photo album by the end of their programme in September.
“It is something that has never been done before. We just decided to do it for our own sake, for memory’s sake, to remember ourselves and our pictures,” Sani narrated. The students also paid for the photo album as part of their SUG dues. “We paid SUG dues, 30,000 per student. So they used part of the SUG dues to make the album for each student,” she said.
The petition also noted that the students produced the album independently. “It is important to note that the photo album is purely a students’ initiative and property, produced solely from the contributions of students without any official institutional funding or policy backing,” the petition reads.
As a gesture, the students decided to include photos of school staff members in the album. “We told all our staff to give us their pictures so that we can add them too. As we look at our classmates’ faces, we will also see our staff’s picture,” Sani explained.
COURTESY TURNED OBLIGATION
After the photo album was produced, the students gave a complimentary copy to Apeabu. She immediately demanded that the students dedicate a full page in the album to her.
“We gave her a copy just to honour her, and for her to have a copy of the album. When she went through it, she said she was supposed to be given a page as the provost,” Sani said.
Sani told FIJ that Apeabu told students on their exam day to submit their copies of the photo album. “She told everybody to go and bring their album. If not, we will not be allowed to write that practical exam that day. She forced everybody to go and bring their own copy and submit,” she said.
Apeabu then invited a printer to estimate the cost of reprinting the photo album, including a page dedicated to her. The printer estimated the cost at N500 per student. “She called the person to repair the album, and then she told him to [estimate the] cost [of] the repair of the album. She shared the amount among the students, which amounted to N500 per student,” Sani said.
After the exams, the provost demanded that the students pay N500 for the reprinted photo album. “She said she won’t sign our clearance forms unless we pay. So, it is until you show her evidence of payment before she clears you,” Sani said.
The petition also mentioned this. “The Provost threatened not to issue clearance to graduating students, despite the fact that they have paid all required school fees and fulfilled all academic and administrative obligations.”
“The photo album is not captured in the College’s official handbook, nor is it mentioned in the students’ admission letters or the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s requirements,” the petition states.
NO PAYMENT, NO CLEARANCE, NO RESULTS
Sani told FIJ that Apeabu has refused to allow students to see their results until they complete clearance. To complete their clearance, the students must pay N500 for the reprinted photo album.
“The results have been out, but she refused to place the results on the platform for us to see. She insists it is only those people who have completed their clearance that will see their results. So we should send her our clearance form before seeing our results,” she said.
“It is supposed to be the completion of clearance before collecting your certificate, not before you’ll be allowed to see your results. But now, she told everybody to snap their clearance forms and send it to her, before she forwards their results.”
Hassan Fati (not real name), a member of the SUG, told FIJ that many students have yet to complete their clearance on Thursday because they haven’t collected the reprinted album.
“There are many albums with her up till now because some students have left theirs. They are no longer interested in the album, and they just left it with her. They have also been unable to complete their clearance,” Fati said.
PROVOST STAYS SILENT, RESPONDS THROUGH PRO
On Thursday, FIJ phoned the provost twice, but her number was unreachable. FIJ also sent a text message to her, but she has yet to respond as of press time.
FIJ called Sani Daura, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Ear Care Centre. When asked about the petition and the claims of students being compelled to pay for a reprinted photo album, Daura said he was unaware of the issue but would verify with the provost.
After speaking with her, he confirmed that the provost told students to reprint the album. “She told the students to redo it and spare a page for her,” Daura said.
When FIJ asked why students who had completed all academic and administrative requirements had still not been cleared, Daura did not provide an explanation. He also did not respond to further inquiries about why the provost had withheld students’ results.
Credit: FIJ
