Delta govt refunds unauthorised fees to 162 nursing students

The Delta Ministry of Health has commenced the refund of unauthorised fees, running into millions of Naira, charged 162 students in the state-owned Colleges of Nursing in Asaba and Sapele.

Delta Health Commissioner, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, spoke on Wednesday, April 24, during the refund exercise at the State College of Nursing Asaba, said: “His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has graciously approved the immediate refund of all unauthorized levies charged to students of the State Colleges of Nursing Asaba and Sapele respectively.”

Onojaeme said the gesture was a result of the concern of the governor that parents and students were not to be financially overburdened, especially during this period of economic difficulty arising from the current inflation trend in the country.

Meanwhile, PEBNEWS had launched diligent investigation upon the complaints of students months ago, which has revealed that trouble is really brewing in the schools over illegal fees imposed on students by the management.

A 200-level student said they paid about 700 thousand naira to be qualified as a student.

"It's not something you say, you read hard to pass because even if you pass, they will use your slot for another that paid, we were almost 200 in our class, and they need only 75 persons,  so it's something we hustle for," the student added.

When asked if they're giving receipts for their payments? Another student said, "we can't give a good record because school doesn't offer us receipts of payments".

While speaking with 300-level students as of today in College of Nursing, Sapele respectively (name withheld), said "out of all the illegal fees they've paid, the ministry has only refunded N10,000 that they forced us to pay for cements".

The student maintained that Ministry of Health should investigate further, stressed that there're more illegal payments they've done that have not been refunded.

Unveiling some of the fees the student asserted, "School fees of indigenes; N272,000, SUG; N15,000, Hostel fee; N60,000, medicals & Affidavit, you must not do it outside but school; N20,000, Text books from principal office; 19,000, Rose & Wilson text book; N28,000 and others couldn't be accounted," student revealed.