Cross River Govt orders health schools to return illegally collected levies to students

Cross River State government has ordered the management of all health institutions which forcibly collected illegal levies from their students to immediately return the funds or face sanctions.

The government has also set up a panel of inquiry to unearth such extortions in the affected schools with a view to penalising the culprits.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, disclosed this on Saturday at the Ogoja College of Nursing Sciences where he lamented over the abuse of trust and betrayal of set standards by the school.

Ayuk ordered an immediate stop to the illegal collections across all state health institutions, mandating that all unjustified payments be fully refunded to the affected students without excuses.

At College of Health Technology in Calabar, such allegations are also reported to be common place.

The commissioner described the situation as outrageous and intolerable.

An unauthorized financial extortion from students in the school was recently shown in a video which went viral on social media.

As a result, the scandal has ignited widespread outrage among parents, students, and the general public, with many calling for urgent action.

The commissioner said, “Any institution engaged in these shameful acts must halt immediately and return all illegal collections to the victims.

“I assure you, whoever is found guilty will be dealt with decisively according to the laws of the land. This administration has zero tolerance for exploitation and corruption”.

He emphasized that no institution or individual, no matter how highly placed, would be shielded from justice, stressing that Governor Bassey Otu’s government stands firmly for transparency, accountability, and protection of the vulnerable.

“The education and future of our young people must not be sold to the highest bidder. Those who think they can defraud our students under this government are mistaken,” he added.

The Ogoja College of Nursing as well as the College of Health Technology  were yet to react to the commissioner’s allegation.

Cross River Govt orders health schools to return illegally collected levies to students