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Extortion: College students groan as lecturers dare C’River Govt

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Despite the stern warning handed down by the Cross River State government, the College of Health Technology Calabar is still allegedly collecting unapproved levies.

About two weeks ago, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry  Egbe Ayuk came down hard against alleged illegal levies imposed on students at the Ogoja College of Nursing Sciences, describing the situation as an outrageous abuse of trust and a betrayal of government standards.

A viral video, widely circulated on social media, had exposed what appeared to be extortion of students, backed by no evidence of payments.

The scandal had ignited widespread outrage among parents, students, and the general public, with many calling for urgent action.

As a result, the commissioner issued a directive ordering an immediate stop to the illegal collections across all state health institutions.

He further mandated that all unjustified payments be fully refunded to the affected students without excuses.

The Health Commissioner, enraged by the revelations, announced that a full panel of inquiry would be established to unearth the depth of the rot and bring the perpetrators to book.

He had advised that any institution engaged in such shameful acts must halt it immediately and return all illegal collections to the victims.

However, findings at the College of Health Technology, Calabar, revealed that lecturers and examiners have paid no heed to the warning.

Students in both the National Diploma and Higher National Diploma, taking part in the ongoing examinations, are allegedly being compelled to individually cough out between N10,000 and N15,000 to lecturers to ‘sort’ courses, else they risk failing such courses.

More findings revealed that several others are also compelled to buy handouts or books authored by particular lecturers which, they claimed, they had already bought in previous classes.

Some of the students told DAILY POST that the extortion had continued, adding that they had complained several times to the school authorities, including heads of departments for intervention, to no avail.

The students said a few days ago, they had challenged a particular lecturer who came to exam class, insisting that they must each pay N15,000 for his course or risk failure.

“We see this as significant extortion. Many of us have paid our school fees and other official charges, like departmental fees, yet we are still burdened with compulsory and illegal fees which we can’t afford.

“In our class, we are over 50. If you multiply N15,000 by that number you will be surprised by the staggering amount somebody will go home with, an amount that is not his monthly salary.

“Of course, some of us have stamped our feet. We won’t pay.  We’ll resist intimidation and excessive extortion,” one of them said.

Another female student alleged that many of the lecturers hardly attended classes yet they would demand money to ‘sort’ their courses.

According to him, there is too much corruption in the school.

An official in the office of the provost who gave his name as Dr John denied that the school authorized such illegal extortion.

“It is not true that the school authorities have knowledge of such demands allegedly placed by some lecturers.

“The school has usually cautioned against any form of extortion.

“I am sure that such allegations will be looked into by the school”, he said.

Education

NYSC Official Arrested Over Female Corper’s D3ath After Abortion

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An official of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ogun State, Abass Olalekan, has been arrested in connection with the de@th of a female corps member.

The corps member, Victoria Ariyo, serving under the Abeokuta South Local Government Area (LGA) of the NYSC, reportedly d!ed last Tuesday after undergoing abortion.

It was gathered that the corps member had terminated her pregnancy and d!ed from complications that followed the procedure.

Her remains were buried at Kobape Cemetery on Kobape-Sagamu Road in Abeokuta.

According to Daily Trust, Ariyo’s d3ath came barely a month after another female corps member, Adeleye Mary, d!ed in what has been described as mysterious circumstance.

Mary, who was serving under the same Abeokuta South LG, was attached to the Ogun State Television (OGTV) as her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).

A source told the publication that both deceased corps members were friends.

“The first lady d!ed at her residence, which is not far from her PPA. They found her lifeless body in the apartment and, up till now, nobody can tell the cause of her d3ath,” the source said.

However, the second corps member who d!ed on Tuesday was said to have died from complications arising from an abortion procedure.

It was alleged that the NYSC official, who is the Local Government Inspector (LGI) for Abeokuta South, Abass Olalekan was culpable in the process leading to the corps member’s d3ath.

Sources told the publication that the LGI was allegedly involved in a romantic relationship with the deceased, which eventually led to pregnancy, and it was the termination that led to her d3ath.

“That is the fact in issue,” a police source who confirmed the NYSC official’s arrest told Daily Trust on Thursday.

The police source said the development raises questions about the legality of romancing “someone that should be in your care.”

Confirming Olalekan’s arrest, the source said, “He is in our custody at the command’s headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.”

The police source, however, said there is no connection between the current incident and the one that occurred last month.

Spokesperson for the police in the state, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed death of Ariyo and said that the investigation was ongoing.

However, he failed to respond to questions on the arrest of the LGI and the alleged involvement.

“I can confirm that the case of the demise of Victoria Ariyo is under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department,” Babaseyi said in a terse statement.

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Education

Teacher Reportedly Suspended In Kebbi After Rejecting Ramadan Palliative

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A classroom teacher in Kebbi State, Abduljalal Usman, has reportedly been suspended for three months without salary after rejecting a Ramadan palliative reportedly distributed by the state government.

The teacher allegedly declined the offer of one mudu of maize and one mudu of millet and also criticized what he described as poor governance in the state.

According to claims circulating online, the action was taken under the administration of Nasir Idris, prompting criticism from some commentators who described the suspension as an attempt to silence dissent and punish a public worker for speaking out.

Critics argue that educators deserve better working conditions, fair compensation, and respect, rather than disciplinary action for expressing their views.

@Mallam_jabeer who shared the report, said …

“A classroom teacher in Kebbi, Abduljalal Usman has been suspended for 3 months without salary simply for rejecting one mudu of maize and one mudu of millet offered as Ramadan palliative from the government and for speaking out against the bad governance.

 

Under the leadership of
@NasiridrisKG
, the Kebbi State Government is now punishing teachers for refusing humiliation and for criticizing the weaponization of poverty.

This is bias, incompetence and total abuse of power.

 

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Education

Tinubu makes new appointment

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Makoji Stephen as the new Rector of Federal Polytechnic Ugep in Cross River State.

The approval was granted by the Federal Government, and the appointment will take effect from March 17, 2026.

Dr. Stephen will serve a single term of five years in line with the Polytechnic Act 2019 as amended.

The decision is seen as part of efforts to strengthen leadership and improve the academic and administrative structure of the institution.

Before this new role, Dr. Stephen worked as a Chief Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration at Federal Polytechnic, Idah.

He also served as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Miva Open University, Nigeria.

Dr. Stephen began his academic journey at Ahmadu Bello University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration in 1998 with Second Class Upper Division.

He later obtained a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Benue State University.

In 2009, he earned another Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Salford in the United Kingdom.

He further completed a Ph.D. in Business and Management with a focus on Human Resource Management at the University of Salford Business School in 2016.

His doctoral studies were supported by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

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