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The Nurses’ Executive Council of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has dismissed allegations that a senior nursing official compelled nurses to make financial contributions for a retirement programme and later diverted the funds for a birthday celebration.
The allegations, published by an online platform (Not PUNCH Online), accused the Director of Nursing Services at LUTH, Mrs Akinola Olajumoke, of directing more than 400 nurses to contribute between ₦5,000 and ₦10,000 each toward her planned retirement ceremony.
According to the report, the retirement event was allegedly converted into a birthday celebration following a new Federal Government policy on retirement age. It further claimed that over ₦900,000 was presented to the director as a cash gift during the celebration, separate from funds purportedly spent on logistics and other items.
Nurses Deny Allegations
However, the Nurses’ Executive firmly refuted the claims, describing them as unsubstantiated and misleading.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Public Relations Officer of the LUTH Nurses’ Executive, Deborah Martins-Akinlose, the group stated that no nurse was coerced, threatened, or intimidated into making any financial contribution.
“At no point were nurses subjected to threats, intimidation, or administrative sanctions to make financial contributions,” the statement said.
The executives emphasised that social or ceremonial activities within professional settings, when they occur, are voluntary, collective, and transparent, in line with established institutional practices.
No Evidence of Misconduct
The statement noted that the allegations remain unsupported by any verified evidence, stressing that no formal complaint, investigative report, or authenticated documentation has been presented to substantiate claims of coercion, fund diversion, or abuse of office.
“These allegations remain unverified and unsupported by any credible evidence,” the statement read.
The nurses’ body also described the alleged conflation of a retirement programme with a birthday celebration as misleading, warning that it could create unnecessary tension, reputational damage, and public misunderstanding.
Call for Responsible Reporting
Reaffirming the institution’s commitment to ethical leadership, accountability, transparency, and due process, LUTH encouraged anyone with genuine concerns to follow established internal administrative procedures or lawful channels.
The statement concluded with a call for responsible journalism:
“We respectfully urge media organisations, content creators, and the general public to uphold journalistic ethics and responsible reporting by verifying facts before dissemination.”
