By Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

The Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday ordered that nursing students of the Igbinedion University, Okada, be stopped from making use of the facilities of the state-owned Benin Central Hospital and the Stella Obasanjo Hospital.

The directive was contained in an executive order issued by the governor on Wednesday.

A press statement by the governor’s chief press secretary, Peter Okhiria, said the action was part of on-going audit of the state’s financial management system and a way to rid it of wastage.

The governor said in the statement that students of the Igbinedion University’s affiliate School of Nursing had used government hospitals free of charge over the years even though they pay fees to the institution.‎

The state government had earlier terminated an agreement between it and igbinedion university for the training of its medical students at its specialist hospitals over debts totalling N350 million.

The move is seen in some quarters as being politically motivated as the university is owned by the father of the former People Democratic Party governor of the state, Lucky Igbinedion under whose government the agreements between the institution and the state were reached.

On the other hand, others see it is a realistic audit step in line with the realities of the falling revenue accruing to the state.

Oshiomole had warned at the state executive council’s first meeting in 2015 on January 7 that his administration was going to adopt stringent cost saving measures to tide it over the season of falling fuel prices.