National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), says it is working closely with the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest proprietors of illegal health institutions and colleges.
Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the NBTE, disclosed this on Thursday in Kaduna at a meeting with provosts and proprietors of health institutions and colleges, as well as registrars of health professional bodies.
He said one of the proprietors of the such illegal colleges was arrested on Wednesday after attempting to get his graduates enrolled for the NYSC scheme.
Bugaji said some of the operators of the illegal institutions were being investigated by the DSS.
He said the meeting was summoned to understand the challenges being faced by the proprietors of the institutions.
Bugaje said, one of the earlier recognised challenges was the required guarantee deposit of N100 million by those seeking to establish health institutions which he said, had been reduced to N25 million by the NBTE.
Speaking further, Bugaje said, there are several illegal health institutions across the country, that are swindling unsuspecting students and giving them unrecognised certificates.
“This is of great concern to all of us, not only at the NBTE… As we speak today, there are some colleges of health that are being investigated by the DSS; the matter has even reached the table of the Director General of DSS, as he has authorised his state directors to take appropriate actions.
“I won’t mention the states, but there are two states involved.
We have also identified some of our staff that are involved in the illegality, some of them have been suspended”, he said.
He said the NBTE is determined to clean the system, noting that health is the wealth of any nation and nobody can joke with the sub sector.
“For that reason, we as regulators of any tertiary institution outside the university system we are very concerned.
“NBTE is determined to weed out all those health colleges and institutions that are involved in illegal activities. “One of the illegal institutions gave one of our staff N2.5million to facilitate registration…
“We have set a committee to investigate the matter and we have asked the staff to return the money, he has to face the full wrath of the law.
“We have reached out to the Registrars of the professional bodies many of whom were also established by acts of the National Assembly to joined hands with us and the provosts, so that we can promote best practices”, he said.
