SaharaReporters gathered that the collection of funds began in November 2025.
Akinola Olajumoke, the Director of Nursing, Hospital Services at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has allegedly mandated over 400 nurses to contribute between ₦5,000 and ₦10,000 each for her retirement ceremony.
Following a new federal government policy on retirement age, the event was converted into a birthday celebration. Reportedly, over ₦900,000 in cash was presented to her as a gift; this was separate from the funds already spent on the ceremony’s logistics and the purchase of other items.
SaharaReporters gathered that the collection of funds began in November 2025. While the contributions were originally intended for a retirement send-off, the purpose of the funds reportedly shifted following changes to federal retirement guidelines.
Nurses said the plan changed after the Director proceeded on terminal leave in December and resumed duty on December 24, when she became eligible to continue in service under the revised retirement policy.
Organisers informed staff members that the contributions would be maintained despite the change.
“Good evening everyone, due to the new federal government policy on retirement age that just came out in which our Director of Nursing is eligible, she is not retiring now, she will celebrate only her 60th birthday now but we luth nurses have committed a lot of money in it, no going back, we will finish what we started, when she is going, when she will now retire, we shall not call you out again for money,” a message from the organisers to the nurses said.
Nurses were also given instructions on how food and entrance to the event would be handled.
“Please, bracelets will be given only to those that come in for the party but we will share food for all Nurses who paid for the party,” the message said.
“Nurses on afternoon duty & some with different reasons etc, will not need the entrance bracelet. Thanks so much for your support & cooperation.”
SaharaReporters gathered that the contribution amounts were based on rank, with Nursing Officer I to II paying ₦5,000; Senior Nursing Officers, ₦6,000; Assistant Nursing Officers, ₦8,000; and ADNS (Assistant Director of Nursing Services) to DDNS (Deputy Director of Nursing Services), ₦10,000.
Wards such as E6, D3/A4, D1 and the Dialysis Centre reportedly remitted between ₦73,000 and ₦92,000, bringing the total contributions from the wards to an estimated ₦323,000.
“I don’t know how much other wards contributed for the retirement celebration, but these are the contributions I’m sure of, which came from the wards mentioned,” a nurse unhappy with the change told SaharaReporters.
Another nurse said, “I believe the ideal thing is return to money donated for her retirement programme the moment she realised she was no longer retiring, instead of diverting it to celebrate her birthday.
“The contributions were strictly for her retirement celebration and not for her birthday party. So it is wrong to divert the donations to something else.”
The change from a retirement party to a birthday celebration followed a circular issued by the hospital referencing the federal retirement policy.
“The Hospital Management has received a circular from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation which approved an upward review of the service age of skilled clinical Health Professionals from 60 to 65 years of age or 35 to 40 years of service (whichever comes first),” the circular said.
The circular also instructed eligible officers to apply to continue in service beyond 60 years.
“Therefore, interested eligible Officers of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital are expected to apply three (3) months before attaining sixty (60) years of age or completing thirty- (35) years of service,” it said.
At the federal level, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation said the policy aims to retain skilled professionals in the health sector.
“In order to address the critical challenge of the inadequacy of skilled workforce and to retain experienced professionals within the Health Sector, the Federal Government has approved the upward review of the retirement age for skilled clinical health professionals in Federal Tertiary Hospitals from 60 to 65 years of age or 35 to 40 years of service, whichever comes first,” it said.
Some nurses also raised concerns about alleged verbal abuse and threats related to the contribution exercise.
"That is why she collected all the names of people who paid so that they could be given promotions or punishments. She verbally bullies everyone. She shows no regard for nurses and speaks to them anyhow; no matter their ranks,” one of the aggrieved nurses said.
“She victimises nurses and is always against nurses’ affairs because of favouritism from the management. She threatened all the subordinates directly under her and said no one can query her authority. She uses vague and abusive language, discredits people anyhow, and speaks in Yoruba, using abusive words."
However, Mrs Olajumoke denied the allegations that she solicited contributions from nurses for her retirement or birthday celebrations.
“I've never asked anybody to contribute for my retirement and I will never,” she wrote in a message sent to our correspondent.
When pressed for an account of how the retirement contributions were spent, she declined to provide details. Instead, she wrote: “Check my last response to you. END OF STORY.”