The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration will establish a college of nursing sciences in the state, as part of the government’s plan to reposition the state into Nigeria’s medical hub. Obaseki stated this when he received the Secretary-General/Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Dr. Faruk Abubakar, who led other members of the Council on a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Benin City. The governor said the state will begin the process for upgrading the School of Nursing and Midwifery in the state to a College of Nursing Sciences. According to him, “We are repositioning the state to become a medical hub. What that means is that our standard here has to be higher than the national standard. “With post-COVID-19, you can’t travel, you have to sit and source for cure here. So the standard you must adopt locally has to be the same standard that you are going to get abroad. Nobody can do it for us; we have to do it ourselves.” He continued: “For us, we must aspire to get global standards. So, I agree with you; if we decide to run a college system, we must withdraw the bill in the House of Assembly. “We are going to get that amendment in now; it gives us the flexibility to do more with the institution. “In the new nursing school, I am not going to accept any staff who joined to ruin the old system. Those who were in the system and saw it decay will not come into the new system.” “You will get new staff to run the new system. We will, as much as possible, put adequate facilities in place. We are going to train graduates who will gain global recognition,” he reassured. Earlier, Dr. Faruk Abubakar commended Obaseki for his giant strides in the health sector, which has positively impacted the lives of citizens. Abubakar, however, suggested that the governor upgrade the state’s School of Nursing and Midwifery to Edo State College of Nursing Sciences, as part of the federal government’s educational reforms.
