Madonna University sanctions 15 nursing students over viral dance video

Madonna University, Elele campus, Rivers State, has expelled a final-year nursing student identified as Mercy and suspended 14 other 500-level students over a viral TikTok video, according to Punch Nigeria. The video showed nursing students dancing in a hospital waiting area, a staircase and a bus. Mercy appeared in the opening seconds, dancing in a hospital hallway.

The clip was part of a social-media trend involving healthcare workers dancing in clinical settings and carried a Pidgin caption referring to “Gen Z” staff in hospitals. The video was reportedly uploaded in August and later circulated through social-media blogs. A 15-second version posted by Yabaleftonline on September 1 had received more than 1.7 million views on X by Saturday, the report said.

The TikTok account used to post the original video was later made private. Medical influencer and content creator Nurse Girma said the university senate had approved the disciplinary measures. He appealed to the institution to reconsider the expulsion, saying the student was in her final year.

Girma said the video’s negative reception had prompted calls for tighter controls on student conduct. Responses online were divided. Some users supported the university, arguing that the students had breached institutional rules and mocked patients or the healthcare profession.

Others described the dance as a harmless way to relieve stress and said expulsion was excessive after years of study. The National Executive Council of the Nigerian Universities Nursing Students’ Association said it had begun discussions with relevant authorities to seek a review. The National Association of Nigerian Students also appealed for clemency, proposing a warning instead of expulsion.

Madonna University’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Chima Achu, told Sunday Punch that the university would issue an official statement on Monday.