Madonna University Expels Nursing Student, Suspends 14 Over Viral TikTok Video

Madonna University, Elele Campus in Rivers State, has expelled a final-year nursing student and suspended 14 other 500-level students over a viral TikTok video recorded inside the institution's teaching hospital.

The affected student, identified simply as Mercy, reportedly appeared prominently at the beginning of the video, which showed nursing students dancing in different parts of the hospital environment, including a waiting area and corridor, as well as on a staircase and inside a bus.

The video was linked to the “Gen Z nurses” social media trend, in which healthcare workers and nursing students create dance-related content in clinical or healthcare settings.

It carried a Pidgin English caption reading, “No fall sick o, na Gen Z full hospital now.”

The video was reportedly uploaded in August and gained wider attention after social media platforms and blogs began circulating it in September. A 15-second version published by Yabaleftonline on September 1 had attracted more than 1.7 million views on X by Saturday, according to reports.

Madonna University's Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Chima Achu, confirmed that disciplinary action had been taken against the students.

He said the university would issue a comprehensive official statement on the matter.

The development has generated debate among healthcare professionals, students and social media users, with reactions divided between those who believe the students breached professional and institutional standards and those calling for leniency because they were final-year students.

Medical influencer and TikTok content creator Nurse Girma, who drew attention to the video, appealed to the university to reconsider the expulsion.

Girma said he initially believed the people in the video were registered nurses but later learnt that they were undergraduate students. He subsequently deleted some of his earlier commentary.

He said the university's Senate had handed the students their respective disciplinary letters and appealed to the institution to “temper justice with mercy.”

The National Executive Council of the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students' Association (NUNSA) has also expressed concern over the sanctions.

NUNSA said it had begun discussions with relevant stakeholders to seek a review of the decision and ensure that the interests and welfare of the affected students were represented.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) similarly appealed to Madonna University to reconsider the expulsion.

NANS acknowledged that the conduct displayed in the video was inappropriate and inconsistent with the discipline and professional standards expected of nursing students, but urged the university to consider a stern warning or other corrective measures instead of expulsion.

The controversy has also raised broader questions about social media conduct among students undergoing professional training, particularly in healthcare disciplines where patient privacy, professional conduct and public confidence are important considerations.

Madonna University operates campuses in Elele, Rivers State; Okija, Anambra State; and Akpugo, Enugu State.

The university is expected to provide further details on the disciplinary measures and the regulations the students were found to have breached.