Cynthia Ezegwu
Dozens of dental students at the University of Jos, Plateau State, on Wednesday staged a protest over the non-accreditation of their programme, which they said has kept them in school for more than ten years without graduation.
The students, who blocked the main gate at the university’s permanent site, 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.”
President of the Jos University Dental Students Association, Johnson Titus, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said the situation had left many of them frustrated and uncertain about their future.
“What you see behind me is the frustration of dental students who have been in this university for the past ten years without graduating. We have been stagnating because our programme has not been accredited,” Titus said.
He accused the university of admitting students into an unaccredited programme, saying they were never informed of the status of the course during admission.
“The University of Jos never told us that there was no accreditation for Dentistry. If we had known, we wouldn’t have applied for the course,” he added.
Another student, Nwike Pius, criticised the school’s management for what he described as insincerity in handling the issue.
“The school has not been sincere with us. Each time we try to confirm the situation, we get conflicting reports from both the university and the Council,” he said.
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Efforts to reach the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Chris Piwuna, were unsuccessful. However, a source close to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, said the management was already taking steps to address the matter.
According to the source, the university had recently opened bidding for ₦800 million worth of capital projects, including the purchase of equipment for the dental programme.
“Just last week, the Provost and senior faculty members met with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to get a date for accreditation. The university is actively working on the issue,” the source said.
Despite the assurance, the students vowed to continue their protest until the university provides a clear timeline for accreditation and resolves all pending issues affecting their academic progress.