The Cross River State government has given maternity and orphanages a 14-day ultimatum to register and get operational licences or quit the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Betta Edu, who read the riot act issued in Calabar at the weekend in response to the directive by the Federal Government for a clamp down on illegal homes across the country, said that the essence is to checkmate child trafficking, unnecessary loss of lives of children and to help reduce the menace of street kids.

According to her, any operator who fails to comply with the directive would be made to face the wrath of the law or better quit the state.

Dr Edu frowned at the illegal operations of some of these firms that have turned orphanages into revenue generating ventures, adding that such practices won’t be tolerated in the state anymore.

She said: “Henceforth, all maternity homes and orphanages must get registered and acquire an operational license for proper supervision and monitoring within the next 14 days or face arrest and further prosecution.

“Maternity homes and orphanages are now seen as an avenue to make money. Most people want to own a maternity home and an orphanage. They’ve deviated from the true purpose of this and are only interested in making profit at the expense of the lives and comfort of these kids and the vulnerable.

“As government we won’t risk or jeopardize the life of any child in the name of business. This is to ensure that such facilities are of good standard to house such establishments and also help us regulate certain irregularities like unnecessary child deaths and child trafficking.”