Amnesty International has urged the management of Madonna University in Rivers State to rescind the expulsion of a final year nursing student and suspension of 14 other nursing students for participating in a controversial TikTok challenge which went viral.
The rights group on Wednesday argued that the sanction was an overkill and consequently, disproportionate to the offence.
“The expulsion and suspension are disproportionate,” the statement said. “The university should prioritise dialogue and mediation.”
Several nursing students of Madonna University participated in a TikTok challenge dancing in their blue uniforms with the caption “No sick o, na Gen Z full hospital.”
This translates in English as “Don’t fall sick, the hospital is full of Gen Z (healthcare practitioners). The video showed the students dancing in unison on chairs in a waiting room and on the stairs of the university’s teaching hospital.
Amnesty International said students have rights to freely express themselves and access to education, adding that the punishment would trample those rights.
“The students have the rights to freedom of expression, academic freedom and education. The expulsion and suspension are harsh and would create a chilling effect on the enjoyment of these rights,” the group said.
One of the affected students, who did not identify herself, cried in a social media video, pleading for mercy from the school.
“I’m one of the students affected and this pain is beyond words,” the student said tearfully. “Years of sacrifices, sleepless nights and dreams shouldn’t end like this. Please let us have a second chance.”
The video which was uploaded in August gained traction last month with many Nigerians condemning the nurses for implying that sick Nigerians were not safe in the hands of Gen Z healthcare professionals.
President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Afese, appealed for a rescission of the expulsion.
“Expulsion is, by far, a grave punishment. Beyond the immediate academic consequences, it can fundamentally alter the course of a young person’s life,” Mr Afeez said.
