BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Owners of private schools in Apete and its environs in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State have sent a Save Our Soul to Governor Seyi Makinde over alleged intimidation, harassment and extortion by health workers in the council area.
The affected school owners accused the health workers of insensitivity and high-handedness allegedly aimed at achieving selfish ends.
Funmilayo Dada, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved proprietors and proprietresses, said, “As much as one can appreciate the need to keep and maintain healthy environments for the well-being of both staff and pupils in the schools, the routine inspection has been turned to cash-cow by the government officials.
“Rather than engaging in inspection and pointing out inadequacies towards correction and improvement, the health workers are going about demanding for money from us.
“To worsen the matter, the health workers were fixated on a particular amount that a school owner must part with, failing which might lead to closure of such schools.”
In a telephone reaction, the Deputy Director, Environmental Health Services and Disease Control in Ido Local Government, Mrs. Balogun, countered the claim by the aggrieved school owners.
She said that inspection was carried out to ascertain the level of compliance of the schools with environmental guidelines.
Such guidelines, according to her, include provision of fumigation certificate, evidence of intake of COVID-19 jab, evidence of medical fitness of staff among others.
‘’We got to some schools without toilets. Can you believe that? I pity the parents of pupils in such schools,’’ she said.
