UPDATED: ‘Na Your Mama’ Controversy: Igbini Slams Delta Commissioner For ‘Wasting Scarce Funds’ On Viral Video

…Delta Govt withdraws query against nursing student

The Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD) has queried the rationale behind why Delta State Commissioner Charles Aniagwu had to ‘waste scarce state funds’ to organised and address a press conference to correct a viral video showing nursing students rejecting to return a song which depicts the First Lady Oluremi Tinubu as “their mother”.

VATLAD claimed that Aniagwu wasted scarce funds on a non-issue, as the First Lady had already acknowledged the students’ justified unhappiness at the event.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that controversy had trailed the visit by Senator Oluremi Tinubu to Delta State, after nursing students expressed disappointment at not receiving medical kits, which were only given to midwives. The students sang a chant song, “Na Your Mama,” when the master of ceremony tried to push the song “Na our Mama” to douse the scenario which went viral on social media.

VATLAD’s National President, Comrade Igbini Odafe Emmanuel, contended that President Tinubu as a respected human rights activist and leader had always supported students peacefully expressing their grievances.

He, also maintained that there was never a time during the ceremony at Asaba, that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, had expressed displeasure at the nursing students rather she acknowledged the students’ unhappiness and promising to extend the same gesture to them in her next outing.

Igbini, therefore, wondered why the State Commissioner for Public Information had to ‘waste scarce funds’ in ‘making issues out of nothing’ on a matter that the First Lady had publicly acknowledged that the nursing students were justified to be unhappy.

The statement reads; “We strongly condemn the decision of Mr Charles Aniagwu (Delta State Commissioner of Information) to address a Press Conference which he claim was to correct an alleged misleading video of what transpired at Event Centre, Asaba, when her Excellency, the wife of President Tinubu, visited Delta State few days ago.

“We wish to state unequivocally that there was nothing unusual with the response of the unhappy nursing students to a song the Master of Ceremony at the occasion chose to raise. As Students and even in our days as Students we always chose any rare opportunity of visiting top Government Officials to express our grievances, and we do so in many different ways which include even attempting to disrupt the event or staging a walkout.
 
“In such cases, the visiting Officials get first hand information about our grievances and are immediately addressed or promises are made to address them.

“We must state with happiness and pride that President Tinubu is a known and respected Human Right Activist and Leader and supporter of Students peacefully expressing their grievances in the same manner done by these nursing students at Asaba.

“It is important for us to state for the record that there was never a time during the ceremony at Asaba, that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, expressed displeasure at the nursing students expressing unhappiness instead she publicly acknowledged that they were justified to be unhappy that she did not include them as beneficiaries of her medical kits she gave only to midwives. 

“She went further to promise to extend the same gesture to the nursing students in her next outing. This is very commendable of the First Lady who understands how best to manage children who are genuinely unhappy.

“This being the truth of what transpired, why then is Mr Charles Aniagwu wasting scarce funds of Delta State in organizing and funding a Press Conference on what is not an issue? His Press Conference is instead now doing damage to both the Wife of the President and Governor Sheriff Oborovweri of Delta State. This must stop!

“We will not conclude this Press Statement without also very strongly condemning the Provost of the Delta State School of Nursing, Agbor, for threatening Disciplinary Action against one of the nursing Students. 

He said that the Governor does not need any propaganda by any of his political appointees for him to enjoy the support of Deltans for a second term come 2027. 

“So far, he is a performing Governor and Deltans, including these nursing students, are so pleased with him”.

Igbini, however, thanked the Wife of the President for her gesture to the midwives and pleaded with her to keep her promise to do the same for our nursing students.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has ordered the immediate withdrawal of the disciplinary query issued to Osato Edobor, a student of the School of Nursing Sciences, Agbor.

The query was related to her participation in a viral social media video during First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s recent visit.

In a statement released on Friday via X (formerly Twitter), the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, confirmed the query’s withdrawal.

He emphasized the government’s dedication to protecting the rights of students in health-related programs and fostering a supportive learning environment.

“The Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, has directed the immediate withdrawal of the query issued to Nursing Student Osato Edobor by the Provost of the School of Nursing Sciences, Agbor,” the ministry said in a public notice.

In a subsequent video statement, Commissioner Onojaeme further reassured the public that the Delta State Government had no intention of victimizing any student in connection with the incident.

“On the trending letter of query issued to the student of the School of Nursing, Agbor, I’ve instructed the provost to withdraw the letter. We don’t want to victimise any of the students,” he said.

The commissioner also stated that he had personally contacted the student in question to confirm that the disciplinary action had been rescinded.

“I’ve also reached out to the student in question, and the student has confirmed to me that the letter was withdrawn late yesterday night,” he stated.

Onojaeme urged the public to disregard any misinformation surrounding the issue, reiterating that the state government has no intention of victimizing the student.

In the same vein, a letter issued by the institution, said; the query letter issued to a student of the Delta State College of Nursing Science, Osatohemwen Edobor, following an incident involving the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has been withdrawn.

The aforementioned student was queried after the nursing students rejected a song eulogising the First Lady, with the institution singling out Edobor for her role.In response to mounting pressure from members of the public, the school provost, R. Evbödaghe, revealed in a letter dated Friday, March 28, 2025, that the query had been withdrawn.

“The Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, in his magnanimity, has directed the school authority to withdraw the query issued to you on the 27th of March, 2025.

“You are, therefore, to return the query letter through the student affairs officer to the office of the provost.“The school authority regrets any inconveniences this must have caused the state,” the letter stated.