Kwara Government, Please Remember, College of Nursing Oke-Ode Is Still in Ilorin

 _By: Olakanmi Abdullateef Olawale (Felepoly)_

There are moments when silence becomes necessary, and there are moments when speaking up becomes a responsibility.

This is one of those moments.

In October 2025, following the security situation in Oke-Ode, the Kwara State Government approved the temporary relocation of the Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences, Oke-Ode, to the Institute of Technology (I.O.T.) Mini Campus of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin. At the time, the relocation was presented as an emergency measure to safeguard students and staff, with the expectation that the institution would eventually return to its permanent site in Oke-Ode.

But today, there is a question that needs to be asked:

Has the government forgotten that the College of Nursing Sciences, Oke-Ode, is still in Ilorin?

This is not an attempt to undermine the government's decision to protect the lives of students and staff. Safety must always come first. However, safety should not inadvertently create another challenge for the students whose education we are trying to protect.

Nursing is not a course that can be effectively taught through lectures alone. It is a profession that demands continuous practical learning, demonstrations, laboratory exposure, clinical experience and access to facilities specifically designed to train future healthcare professionals.

The concern, therefore, is not simply that students have been relocated.

The concern is whether the temporary learning environment provides everything required for students of Nursing and Midwifery to receive the quality of practical education they deserve.

The facility to which the Oke-Ode students were relocated is primarily associated with the Institute of Technology and engineering-related academic activities. That raises legitimate questions about the adequacy of specialised nursing laboratories, demonstration equipment, clinical training spaces and other facilities required for professional nursing education.

And this is where the government must look beyond simply saying that academic activities have resumed.

Resumption is not the same thing as quality learning.

A student can sit in a classroom, listen to lectures and write examinations, yet still lack the practical exposure required to become a competent healthcare professional.

The Kwara State Government itself has previously recognised the importance of laboratories, practical rooms, medical equipment and other specialised facilities in nursing education. In May 2025, before the Oke-Ode relocation, the Ministry of Tertiary Education inspected such facilities at the College of Nursing Sciences in Ilorin as part of efforts to strengthen health education.

Therefore, this is a simple wake-up call.

The Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences, Oke-Ode, is still in Ilorin.

Its students are still there.

Their academic needs are still there.

Their practical training requirements are still there.

And their future cannot be placed on hold simply because their institution was temporarily relocated.

If the security situation has not yet permitted the College to return to Oke-Ode, then the government should ensure that the temporary arrangement is supported with adequate and purpose-built facilities to guarantee that students do not suffer academically because of circumstances beyond their control.

The students did not cause the insecurity.

They should not also become victims of its educational consequences.

This is therefore a call for the government to review the current situation, assess the practical needs of the students, provide the necessary facilities and, most importantly, communicate clearly about the future of the institution.

Where is the roadmap for the return to Oke-Ode?

What measures are being taken to ensure that students receive adequate practical training while in Ilorin?

And what is the timeline for restoring the College to its permanent campus when security conditions permit?

These are not unreasonable questions.

They are questions from people who care about the future of education and healthcare in Kwara State.

The government may have moved the institution to Ilorin for security reasons.

But please, don't forget the institution here.

Don't forget the students.

Don't forget their practical training.

And above all, don't forget that the Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences, Oke-Ode, is still in Ilorin.