The students accused Igumbor of "high-handedness, corruption, extortion and intimidation” of students and staff members of schools of nursing.
There was pandemonium at the Delta State Library on Tuesday as students of the state’s school of nursing protested against the alleged prevention of over 300 students from taking their final-year examination.
The hundreds of protestors slammed Mrs. Gloria Igumbor, a relation of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the Director of the School of Nursing, Ministry of Health.
SaharaReporters learnt that the students stormed the state library along Mariam Babangida Way, Asaba, the venue of the final-year examination after being informed that they would not be allowed to sit the examination following the inability of Igumbor to enrol them for the examination despite paying for all necessary fees.
Angered by the sad news, the students asked why they should be denied their rights.
The final-year students who are from the three schools of nursing in Warri, Eku and Agbor in the state, told SaharaReporters that each of them had paid N98,000 through Igumbor for the national nursing council examination and another N15,000 for CBT training.
The students accused Igumbor of "high-handedness, corruption, extortion and intimidation” of students and staff members of schools of nursing.
According to them, Igumbor threatened them with expulsion from the schools should they embark on a protest over the development.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the affected students who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said, "On Monday at midnight when the director of the school of nursing, Mrs. Gloria Igumbor, met with us to break the sad news to us, she said it was due to some technical issues in the registration process.
“She threatened that anyone who dares to protest against the development will be expelled from the school.
"The director is always threatening students and staff because she is a relative of the state governor who appointed her. She is very boastful, saying every time that she is the governor's relation so even the staff of her ministry are always scared of her too because of that.
“She even boasted that the governor, Ifeanyi Okowa was aware of the development that befell the over 300 students and was solidly behind her in whatever action she takes regarding the three schools and warned that no amount of protest will force the governor to remove her from office."
Igumbor has been embroiled in controversies and allegations of extortion and corruption. She also allegedly called the students “idiots” for daring to ask about their fate regarding the examination, during her visit to the final-year students at the school of midwifery in Asaba.
The affected students comprise 92 students from the Warri nursing school, 110 students from the Eku nursing school and 112 students from the Agbor nursing school.
As things stand, they will not graduate at the end of their third academic session following the alleged failure of Igumbor to register them.
Meanwhile, the state health commissioner, Mordi Onoye, who heard about the protest, rushed to the scene and began to appease the visibly angry students.
He described the negligence as a “wicked act” which he said was “highly regrettable”. Onoye claimed that he was not initially aware of the issue and assured the protesting students that the state government would take appropriate actions against those responsible for their non-enrollment for the all-important council examination.
When contacted on the issues and allegations levelled against her, Igumbor declined to comment, saying, "Please, I am not ready to speak now, I am very busy."