Parents at Federal Government College Accuse School of Extortion

Parents and guardians at the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, have lodged a petition with the Federal Ministry of Education regarding alleged extortion by the school management and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). They claim that each Senior Secondary One (SS1) student was asked to pay N20,000 for uniforms and mattress covers, despite having already made payments through the Federal Government’s Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) system.

This additional demand could amount to approximately N12 million for 600 students. Furthermore, parents allege that mattresses donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were withheld unless an extra N7,500 was paid, along with another N12,500 for uniforms.

Parents are urging Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa to investigate these allegations and dissolve the PTA executive, threatening to involve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mr Emmanuel Didi, the school principal, denied these claims, stating that the amount had been reduced from N25,000 to N20,000 due to parental complaints.