School of Nursing and Midwifery Suspends Admissions over Protest

The students of the Adamawa State College of Nursing and Midwifery have protested the payment of a part of their admission fees into a microfinance bank that they believe is owned by a church. The protest resulted in the suspension of the admission processes. It was gathered that the students, as a requirement in their registration processes, were supposed to pay N500 for the Nursing and Midwifery Council into the school’s account in Brethren Microfinance Bank and a sum of N5,715 for the admission form.

However, a group of Muslim students led by on Shehu Ismail sent out a communique to fellow Muslim students stating that the act of paying the N500 into the Brethren Microfinance Bank is a gradual Christianization of the state.

The following is an excerpt of the write up: “Our findings revealed that the Brethren Microfinance Bank Ltd, with the office address at No 1, EYN headquarters, Kwarshi, Adamawa State, was incorporated in Yola, the state capital, with registration number 1423616. It was registered on 07 July 2017, and its current status is unknown. As the church’s establishment, through the bank, EYN will give the church some financial strength and grant the youth scholarships, capital, and the likes. This is unacceptable as the EYN will not accept any bank established by an Islamic organisation or the Mosque to be patronised by public institutions in a plural religious state like Adamawa. We are hereby calling on those who can reach out to the Adamawa state governor to let him address our misgivings. We suspect as gradual Christianisation of the state structures.”

A probe into the situation revealed that the school’s intention was totally contrary to the group’s assumption. The school’s provost, Lami Aminu said: “The issue is simple. There’s no crisis, except for those that didn’t really understand. On this (admission) committee, we have a board comprising people from both religions. They agreed that they would use that bank. That was exactly what happened. When students started paying, it was a professional fee. Is there any problem there? People interpret things the way they want. That is just what is happening. We have debunked it. I have suspended the admission. The professional fee is used to maintain the Nursing and Midwifery Committee at the state level. It’s not for the bank. How will it be for the bank?”

As a confirmation of the Provost’s claim, an investigation of the bank carried out by the ICIR revealed that judging from the names of its directors, the bank might have Muslims and Christians on board. However, there was no way to contact the Microfinance Bank either via social media or other online communication platforms. Find below, the list of the Bank’s stakeholders.