By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – The Jos University Dental Students’ Association (JUDENSA) has raised alarm over what it described as a decade-long ordeal caused by the prolonged delay in completing their academic programme, calling for urgent government intervention to save their careers and mental well-being.
Speaking during a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Jos, the President of JUDENSA, Johnson Bisani, said the students had endured ten years of frustration and emotional trauma due to the University of Jos’s inability to secure full accreditation for its dental programme.
According to Bisani, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme, which commenced in 2015 as a six-year course, has lingered for ten years without any student graduating or sitting for professional examinations.
He explained that the situation has left many students psychologically drained and uncertain about their future.
He emphasised that the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Jos, the only dental school in North Central Nigeria, is critical to improving the region’s poor dentist-to-patient ratio, currently estimated at 1:54,000 against the World Health Organization’s recommended 1:5,000.
Despite this significance, he lamented, “What began as a beacon of hope has turned into a nightmare of stagnation and unfulfilled dreams.”
Recalling the events that led to the first phase of accreditation, Bisani noted that the students’ peaceful protest on April 25, 2024, drew national attention and prompted the intervention of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang.
This resulted in the granting of the preclinical phase of accreditation in June 2024.
He, however, expressed dismay that more than a year later, the second phase, the clinical accreditation, remains elusive, contrary to earlier assurances from the University management.
Bisani said despite several engagements, students continue to receive repeated promises without tangible progress, a situation he described as “emotionally degrading and unjust.”
The JUDENSA President appealed to the National Assembly, Minister of Education, Minister of Health, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and other relevant authorities to intervene by ensuring a well-structured plan and clear timeline for accreditation, clinical examinations, and the induction of students.
He urged the government and critical stakeholders not to allow the dreams and aspirations of dental students to die, warning that continued neglect could further worsen Nigeria’s healthcare brain drain and diminish confidence in the country’s academic system.
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