Confusion Trails Alleged Exam Cancellation As Major Exam Fraud Rocks Delta Nursing Colleges

…PTS exam not cancelled, allegation baseless – Delta Commissioner of Health

Controversy is currently trailing the alleged cancellation of the Preliminary Training Studies (PTS) Examination by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) following an examination fraud rocking the Delta Colleges of Nursing Science in the state.

BIGPEN NIGRRIA (https://bigpenngr.com) repoets thag a group of Concerned Parents of Children in College of Nursing Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, had in a save-our-soul letter, alleged cancellation of the institution’s recent examination over the manner the exams were conducted in the state.

But the Commissioner of Health in the state, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, in a response to enquiries, denied the allegation that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria cancelled the examination resulting from corrupt practices.

In a save-our-soul letter signed by Mr Paul Erakpobruke and Mr. Johnson Ovwile Ejiro addressed to the state governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, a group of Concerned Parents of Children in College of Nursing Eku, alleged malpractice and corruption in the state colleges of Nursing.

They called on the governor to urgently step-in to arrest the ugly trends in the state colleges of Nursing to safeguard the future of their children.

They alleged that the authorities of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) decided to cancel PTS Exam conducted in the state because it was marred by malpractice and corruption, after NMCN conducted an independent and thorough investigation to the issues raised against the PTS Exam and allegedly found them to be true.

They frown at the action of the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme whom they accused of hiding the fact of the cancillaction of the PTS Exam from the governor but rather window shopping in an attempt to compromise some directors in the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria to get some of the student indexed through the back door.

According to the letter; “Good Deltans, we have been vindicated. The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has cancelled the PTS Exam and the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme is hiding this fact from the Governor of Delta State.

“The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria conducted an independent and thorough investigation of the issues raised against the PTS Exam and found them to be true.

“The good people of Delta state are now asking Dr. Joseph Onojaeme who is actually corrupt. This Commissioner and his team can no longer deceive us. We now know the truth that this Commissioner who claims to be fighting corruption is the one aiding and abetting the corruption that is destroying the Nursing Professing right now in Delta State.

“One would have expected that with the cancellation of the PTS Examination, the Commissioner will feel remorse and try to amend his ways. On the contrary, he has put in place a wicked agenda to ensure that many candidates who sat for the PTS Exam that has been cancelled will not have the privilege of rewriting it.

“This write up is aimed at alerting the entire people of Delta State the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has cancelled the PTS Exam which was carried out without due process and to be at alert so that their children will not be excluded from rewriting the Exam when the Ministry is ready to conduct another one.

“Accordingly, we plead with His Excellency, the Governor, to take urgent steps to avert the impending calamity that will befall the Colleges of Nursing Sciences in the state.

According to their letter, “over 200 students registered for the PTS Exams at Agbor, Warri about 150 students, Eku about 150 students, Asaba about 100 students; while Sapele about 100 registered students for the examination, and that if nothing is done urgently for them to retake the exam, their hope of acquiring Nursing education would have been dashed.

They, therefore, appealed that for equity and fairness, students sent home be as a result of the poorly conducted PTS Exam be called back to retake examination.

In his reaction, Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, debunked the allegation that NMCN cancelled the PTS Exam held in Delta, urging Deltans and welling Nigerians to disregard the claim as nothing of such happened.

Dr. Onojaeme, in a telephone conversation woth one of our correspondent said, “PTS Exam is not cancelled, they are currently doing Transcript valuation for transcript purpose, nothing more.

“The PTS exam is not an examination that tests the knowledge of the students, it’s just an exam to regularized them, that is all. The PTS Exam will stand, they have started their indexing.

“The PTS exam is at no cost to the student and it’s not an exam that will cause them to fail and be out of the school, so, i don’t know why they are scared of such an exam?

“Take this from me, the PTS Exam has not been cancelled, I was with the Registrar of the Nursing Council, Mr Faruk two weeks ago and we didn’t discuss PTS, our discussions was centered on how he could increase the indexing number because of the pressure on admission from Delta State.

“No student was asked to dropped out of any of our schools on account of this PTS Exam, because it’s just like an aptitude test and not the main Council exams, you can record this call and hold me responsible on this point,” he added.