Dear Sir: The expectation of every graduate from any Nigerian university is to proceed to the national youth service program (NYSC) after his graduation. But this cannot be said of the graduates from the college of medicine and health sciences of Madonna University Elele campus, no thanks to the compulsory Madonna university service program introduced by the school authorities.
Dear Sir: The expectation of every graduate from any Nigerian university is to proceed to the national youth service program (NYSC) after his graduation. But this cannot be said of the graduates from the college of medicine and health sciences of Madonna University Elele campus, no thanks to the compulsory Madonna university service program introduced by the school authorities.
The service program was introduced on the eve of their graduation. Those affected were the graduates of medicine and surgery, nursing, med. Lab. Sciences and pharmacy. A breakdown showed that the graduated nurses will serve for six months, while the doctors, med lab. Scientists and pharmacists will serve for one full year uninterrupted and paid peanuts, afterwards proceed to the NYSC.
Consequently, failure to do so attracts severe penalties which include the withholding of the degree certificates and NYSC call up letters. Alternatively, the university authorities have an option of fine which includes: five hundred thousand naira (N 500,000.00) for the graduated nurses, one million naira (N 1, 000,000.00) for med lab.
Scientists and pharmacists and two million naira (N 2, 000,000.00) for doctors. For the records none of these graduates were on any scholarship of any sort through out the duration of study and do not owe the school any kobo, and to compound their woes most of them especially the doctors spent donkey years in the school due to delayed accreditation of the medical school. The school fees ranged from between two hundred and fifty thousand (N 250,000.00) to four hundred and fifty thousand (N 450,000.00) per session. Currently some graduated nurses and med lab. Scientists are still in the service.
What an irony for an institution that has decency in moral as her motto. What is decent and morally justifying in this act of neo slavery? In an era when education is supposed to liberate us from the shackles of oppression and forced labour. Today the Madonna graduates have found themselves in the lonely island of injustice and exiled from their alma mater. They have been denied their fundamental human rights to dignity of human persons, personal liberty, fair hearing and freedom of thought and conscience.
Why should these graduates be singled out? When they paid the highest amount of money as school fees as students; and denied the mandatory service to their fatherland immediately after graduation. Even if the university wants her graduates to serve her must it be by force or choice? This democracy.
Yours Faithfully
Concerned Graduates
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