Ogun Govt Cracks Down on PHC Extortion, Launches Investigation Into Illegal Charges

(Ogun State Health Commissioner, Dr. Tomi Coker. photo credit: Womenlift Health)

Less than 48 hours after PUNCH Healthwise published an investigation revealing how health workers at some primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Ogun State were extorting nursing mothers by demanding between N500 and N2,000 before vaccinating their babies, the state government has announced that it is launching an inquiry into the illegal practice.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, summoned the Officers-in-Charge of the affected facilities on Monday and warned that health workers found guilty would face suspension, as the government pledged to crack down on illegal charges for routine immunisation services.

The PUNCH Healthwise report, published on Sunday, May 10, 2026, uncovered a pattern of unlawful charges at PHCs in Magboro, Ibafo, and Mowe, all within the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.

Mothers seeking routine immunisation for their babies were being turned away if they failed to pay compulsory but unexplained fees, despite the service being free nationwide.

Health workers were also found to be charging between N1,200 and N2,000 to open government-issued immunisation cards for newborns and first-time visitors to the facilities.

Dr. Coker commended PUNCH Healthwise for the investigation, acknowledging that it brought to light practices that would have been difficult for government officials to detect internally.

She confirmed that suspensions would not be limited to the three named facilities, but would extend across the entire local government structure.

The commissioner described the conduct of the health workers as a betrayal of public trust, particularly given the significant financial investment the state government has made in the PHC system.

Each facility, she noted, receives regular funding allocations to cover operational costs, environmental maintenance, drugs, and security.

She also revealed that the problem runs deeper than the extortion uncovered in the report. Some health workers have been deliberately under-reporting patient numbers and manipulating revenue records.

She disclosed that resistance to the introduction of electronic medical records at certain facilities was partly motivated by a desire to conceal actual patient figures and income generated.

Dr. Coker urged Nigerians to assert their rights and report wrongdoing by public health workers, encouraging them to document and report such incidents directly to her office.

She also confirmed plans to display service price lists as posters across PHCs in the state, so that mothers can easily identify which services are free of charge.

The commissioner added that as of December 2025, a total of 229,468 children in Ogun State had been fully immunised, while 47,548 were partially immunised and approximately 12,000 had received no vaccines at all.