From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Catholic Diocese of Ahiara Mbaise, Imo State was agog, yesterday, as the Federal Government, through the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), granted the establishment and accreditation of the Mater Ecclessiae College of Nursing Sciences by the Diocese.
Similarly, the Public Health and Epidemiology Practitioners Council of Nigeria (PEPCN) has also given approval and accreditation for the institution to run diploma courses on Public Health and Allied Sciences.
The Bishop of Ahiara Catholic Diocese Mbaise, His Grace, Most (Rev) Simeon Okezuo Nwobi, made the disclosure during a news conference held at the Mater Ecclessiae College of Nursing Sciences, Ogbe Ahiara Mbaise, Imo State.
He disclosed that the approval was endorsed by the Governing Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), at its 63rd general meeting, in a letter to the proprietor of the institution (NMCN/50/RO/OC/13/Vol14/21), dated September 29, 2026, and signed by the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Ndagi Alhassan.
He said the NMCN Board approved an initial intake of 75 students with a cut off mark of 150 by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB). The bishop further revealed that the NMCN board granted an accreditation period of two years, which the colleges would undergo before a statutory reassessment by the council. He chronicled some of the difficulties the diocese encountered before the two institutions were granted accreditation, stressing that the approved institutions would maintain the set standards approved by the council.
He said, “Initially the mission became impossible due to stringent regulatory bottlenecks and a broader federal government moratorium halting the issuance of new nursing and health institutions as a part of the measures to curb proliferation of colleges nursing sciences and to maintain standards. The Catholic bishop said that through strategic, perseverance, unwavering will and divine intervention the narrative changed, stating that the admission of new intakes starts October this year.
He said admission of new students into the institutions is open to everyone, irrespective of the state, religion or tribe, as the recommended school fees would not deter anybody from applying, noting that the management is bent to maintain the standard.
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