The Kebbi State Government on Friday, October 18, ordered the immediate closure of the College of Health Technology, Jega, Kebbi State. This is coming on the heels of students’ protest that turned violent.
The announcement was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Isah Abubakar Tunga.
Tunga stated that the closure was necessary to prevent further escalation of unrest in the school.
According to reports, the protest began over grievances on lack of course accreditation, poor sanitation, and bad leadership. It, however, turned violent when the angry students targeted the Provost of the College, Haruna Saidu-Sauwa. The students, who vented their anger on the Provost, later set his house on fire and vandalized his vehicles.
CHANNELS TV reports that the students were angry over allegation of extortion leveled against the Provost.
“The protest erupted over allegations that the college management extorted N23 million. That was a money collected from the students regarding index registration for 250 graduating students.
CHANNELS TV, however, revealed that the controversy originated from a newly introduced Public Health programme. The programme was initially affiliated with the Reproductive Health and the Public Health Association of Nigeria.
“The College was said to have merged the programme with the Department of Environmental Health to secure certification. A development that led for a demand for an additional N65, 000 from each student for index registration. This is in addition to the N30, 000 already paid.
Reacting, to the allegations making the rounds that he had connived with a certain body in Oyo State to extort students of his college to the tune of N23m, the Provost of the College, Sawwa, dispelled the allegation.
He described it as “fictitious, baseless and mischievous”.
The Provost said, “The said publications carried an unknown source who gave his own version of the story. I challenge the person to come clean in his allegations of student extortion. And his claim of course duplications.
“Let me state here in categorical terms that I and the school management have no hand in the said allegations of course duplications and extortion.
“Our school operates the Single Treasury Account, TSA, where all monies belonging to the school are paid to. And no one has access to the account, including me.”
However, normalcy has returned to the college after security agencies intervened and chased away the protesters.
Announcing the closure of the College, Tunga assured that a Committee would investigate the incident. He assured that those responsible would face consequences.
He noted that College will remain closed for three weeks to a month.
source: Channels TV
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