Parents Accuse Akwa Ibom Federal Unity School of Alleged Extortion, Call for FG Intervention

Parents of students at the Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, have called on the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to investigate alleged extortion and multiple charges imposed by the school management and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

The parents alleged that the school demanded an additional ₦20,000 from Senior Secondary School One (SS1) students for uniforms and other items, despite an earlier payment made through the Federal Government’s Remita payment platform.

One of the parents, Mr Etim Ikong, said the initial payment included ₦25,000 for uniforms, which many parents had already paid into designated banks using their Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) numbers.

According to Ikong, parents were surprised when the school management allegedly threatened to send students home if they failed to pay another ₦20,000, reportedly covering ₦12,500 for uniforms and ₦7,500 for mattress covers.

He questioned the additional charge, noting that the mattress covers were intended for beds fitted with mattresses donated to the students by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Ikong also expressed concern over the potential amount involved, claiming that collecting ₦20,000 from 600 SS1 students would amount to ₦12 million from the class alone. He added that new students in Junior Secondary School One (JS1) would also be affected.

Another parent, Chinedu Ike, said he had to seek financial assistance from his brother in Abia State to pay the fee before checking his son into the hostel. He also questioned the absence of the principal and PTA executives during the resumption exercise, saying their presence had been customary in previous years.

Some parents reportedly refused to pay the additional fee, insisting that the charges had already been covered in their earlier payments to the Federal Government. They called on the Minister of Education to investigate the allegations.

Reacting to the claims, the school principal, Mr Emmanuel Didi, said the initial planned charge was ₦25,000 but was reduced to ₦20,000 following complaints from parents. He said the matter would be addressed.