Rivers State Government has set up an independent investigative panel to probe allegations of extortion, examination malpractice and bribery in a department of the Rivers State College of Nursing Sciences.
The State Ministry of Health said the allegations include unauthorised payments for project topic approvals, the sale of examination questions and marking schemes, and bribery for guaranteed passes in professional examinations.
Following receipt of the complaints, the ministry said it formally notified the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, as well as relevant security agencies.
Speaking during a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, said the action reflects the Rivers State Government’s “zero tolerance for corruption in any shape or form.”
“We are not taking these allegations lightly,” Oreh said, adding that the ministry had constituted “an independent investigative panel to investigate these allegations.”
The panel is chaired by Professor Chizindu Alikor, with Dr Golden Ohonda, Dr Vincent Wanchuku, Dr Maria Krukubo and Mrs Sotoyo Isokorare as members, while Mrs Dema Martins Nwibu will serve as secretary.
According to Oreh, the panel had been mandated to independently investigate all allegations leveled against the affected department of the College of Nursing Sciences and submit its findings.
As part of immediate measures, officials implicated in the allegations have been suspended.
The Commissioner said the provost of the college has been informed, while arrangements are underway for the appointment of an acting head of the affected department.
The ministry also announced that a full forensic audit would be conducted on the Year Two, second semester examinations.
To encourage cooperation, the government assured that students who come forward with information to assist the panel would be adequately protected.
Reiterating the government’s position, Oreh said the ministry “is not tolerant of extortion in any shape or form” and would not condone “any compromise of the integrity of what should be professional examinations.”
She assured the public that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated, stressing that “all guilty parties will be made to answer to these infractions and will be brought to book.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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