UNIBEN medical students protest non-accreditation

Tuesday paralysed at the University of Benin, Edo State and the entire Ugbowo area for several hours, as students of the School of Medicine protested the non-accreditation of the faculty’s programmes and that of School of Dentistry by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

The students, who were in a large number, refused to speak to journalists until they were addressed by their Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oyuki Oshodin.

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Some were overheard saying that “those who are to graduate in a few weeks’ time will not get a licence to practise as medical doctors and dentists, despite having spent over seven years in the school.”

They said that their future was being threatened, adding that UNIBEN authorities appeared nonchalant to their plight.

Vehicular and human traffic was blocked on the long stretch of the Ugbowo-Lagos Road while road users laboured to find their way out of the city.

The school entrance gate was closed even as the VC was prevented from coming out of the premises. A cameraman attached to DBN Television was manhandled by some of the students.

When contacted, the institution’s spokesman, Mr. Osaze Osarenren, said the protest was misplaced as the institution was already trying on meeting the MDCN’s requirements.



He said, “It was suspension of accreditation and they gave us 12 months to put those things rights and if we didn’t do they can now sanction us. We have been meeting with the Federal Ministry of Education on this matter and things are being put in place.

Before the end of the ongoing examination, which is not even the finals, all these things will be done. In fact, the vice-chancellor and some senior officials are air airborne (3.05 pm) to Abuja on the same matter.”

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, its secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ighodaro and Publoic Relations Officer. Dr. Kennedy Alohan urged the council of the university and that of Igbinedion University, which was also affected to quickly meet the demands of the MDCN in order not to create vacuum in the profession.

The statement read in part: “As a responsible association, we support efforts by the Council at ensuring the maintenance of standards in medical education in Nigeria universities.

“The loss of accreditation by these universities to train doctors has very serious implications for the already comatose health sector in our state and country.

“We therefore call on the authorities of the affected universities and the respective heads of the Colleges of Medical Sciences to work very closely with the MDCN with a view to quickly addressing the issues that led to this unfortunate situation.”