President of the Jos University Dental Students Association (JUDENSA), Johnson Bisani, addressing the press on Friday in Jos.
By CHRISTIANA LOT, Jos
Dental students of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have decried spending a decade in school for a six-year course due to stalled accreditation, lamenting emotional trauma, financial strain, and shattered hopes in Nigeria’s educational system.
Speaking during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Jos, the President of the Jos University Dental Students Association (JUDENSA), Johnson Bisani, said the students have endured “ten years of prolonged emotional trauma and a painful, disturbing ordeal” as a result of the unresolved accreditation issues affecting their faculty.
According to him, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme, which began in 2015, was expected to last six years but has now stretched into ten years without a single graduate or any student sitting for the required professional dental examinations.
Bisani recalled that despite repeated appeals to the management of the university, the students continued to face delays until a peaceful protest in April 2024 drew attention to their plight. The intervention of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, led to the approval of the first phase of accreditation, the preclinical stage, in June 2024.
He said, “We are not here to point fingers, but to share our story in hopes of finding understanding, compassion, and real solutions. This is about justice for young Nigerians chasing their dreams in dental healthcare. We have reached our breaking point — we are emotionally drained, deeply traumatized, and vulnerable to suicidal tendencies.”
“During that period, the school management assured us that within six months we would secure the clinical accreditation, allowing our pioneer class to write their final exams and be inducted by 2025. But now, in October 2025, those promises have evaporated into thin air. We are still stuck, and the stagnation has sparked this current agitation.”
Bisani maintained that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) was not responsible for the students’ predicament but urged the university to take full responsibility and be transparent about the cause of the persistent delay.
He further lamented that the situation has left many students disillusioned and hopeless about their future in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“We appeal to the MDCN for clemency and, most importantly, to find ways of holding the school accountable without subjecting us, the innocent students, to further agonizing experiences already created by the school.
“This trauma, even before we begin practice, can leave lifelong scars that could drive more health workers away. If we can’t make it smooth and easy for our own here, how do we stem the brain drain?” he added.
The students, in their appeal, called on the National Assembly, the Federal Ministries of Health and Education, and the leadership of the University of Jos to urgently intervene and provide a clear, time-bound plan for resolving the accreditation crisis. They also demanded compensation for the pioneer and second sets who have spent nine and ten years respectively.
Bisani expressed appreciation to Governor Caleb Mutfwang for his “fatherly and financial support,” the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Plateau State Chapter, and the Association of Resident Doctors, JUTH Branch, for their solidarity and advocacy in the students’ struggle.
He urged Nigerians, political leaders, and stakeholders not to allow the dreams of the dental students to die, stressing that their plight symbolizes the broader struggle for justice and functionality in Nigeria’s educational system.
