By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – Dozens of dental students from the University of Jos (UNIJOS) on Wednesday staged a protest at the university’s Permanent Site, blocking the main gate to demand immediate accreditation of their long-delayed dental programme.
The students, who have spent over ten years in the institution without graduating, expressed anger over what they described as neglect by both the university management and regulatory authorities. They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Save us from unending depression,” “Our future is on hold,” “Accredit us now,” and “We are tired of UNIJOS,” while chanting solidarity songs.
Speaking during the protest, Mr Johnson Titus, President of the Jos University Dental Students Association, said the demonstration was a reflection of deep frustration among students whose academic and professional futures remain uncertain.
“What you see behind me is the frustration of dental students who have been in the university for the past ten years without graduating. We have been stagnating because of the non-accreditation of our programme,” Titus stated.
He called on the university management and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to urgently resolve the issues delaying accreditation and fix the curriculum problems affecting the faculty.
Titus also accused the university of misleading students during the admission process. “Nobody should blame us because if the university is going to do screening and admission, they don’t usually inform students that there is no accreditation for the affected programme,” he said.
“The University of Jos did not inform anyone that there is no accreditation for the dental courses for which they admitted us. If we had known, we probably wouldn’t have applied. And if the university knew there was no accreditation, why would they advertise Dentistry on their website? We feel the university is still at fault for the situation we have found ourselves.”
Another student, Nwike Pius, faulted the institution’s communication and transparency on the issue, alleging that the school had been inconsistent in its explanations.
“The school has not been sincere with us because we hear a different story from them, and when we confirm, we hear a different story from the Council. The students have tried to reach out to the Vice Chancellor, but our efforts have been met with silence,” he said.
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Efforts to get a comment from the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof Chris Piwuna, were unsuccessful. However, a source close to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Tanko Ishaya, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the university was already working to address the students’ concerns.
“I don’t know why the students chose this day to protest because the university management is doing something to address their issue. I know their matter has lingered, but as I’m talking with you, the university has opened bidding for ₦800 million capital projects, including the purchase of their equipment,” the source revealed.
“Just last week, the Provost and senior officials of the faculty met with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to get a date for the accreditation of their programme. What else do they want?” the source added.
Despite the university’s assurance, the students vowed to continue their sit-in at the university gate until concrete action is taken and an official accreditation date is confirmed.
The protest has brought renewed attention to the plight of medical and dental students nationwide, many of whom face similar delays caused by bureaucratic and infrastructural bottlenecks.
Converseer reports that the University of Calabar (UNICAL) dental students are facing similar issue.
