A Decade in Limbo: UNIJOS Dental Students Plead for Rescue After 10-Year Ordeal

JOS, Nigeria – The Jos University Dental Students Association (JUDENSA) has issued a desperate appeal to the government, describing a decade of academic stagnation that has left students traumatized and their professional dreams in jeopardy.

Speaking at a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Jos, the association's President, Mr. Johnson Titus Bisani, revealed that students have spent up to ten years in a dental program originally designed for six.

“We are emotionally drained, deeply traumatized, and vulnerable to suicidal tendencies,” Bisani stated. “This is about justice for young Nigerians chasing their dreams in dental healthcare. We have reached our breaking point.”

The dental program, which commenced in 2015, has been plagued by systemic failures. Bisani narrated how years of paying fees and attending lectures yielded little progress, with no professional exams conducted for nine years.

“Year after year, students paid fees, attended lectures, and completed postings with little advancement,” he explained. “Nine years passed without a single graduate or a single professional dental exam written.”

A glimmer of hope emerged in 2024 following a peaceful protest and the subsequent intervention of Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang. His efforts led to the program's preclinical accreditation in June 2024.

However, that hope was short-lived. The students are now stranded, unable to proceed as the crucial clinical accreditation remains pending over a year later.

“We were told we would get the clinical phase within six months,” Bisani lamented. “But now, in October 2025, those promises have evaporated into thin air.”

JUDENSA squarely placed the blame on the University of Jos management, absolving the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) of responsibility.

“It is apparent that the school management is grossly at fault. We believe the MDCN is not responsible for our ordeal,” Bisani stated. “We appeal to the Council for clemency and to find ways to hold the university accountable without punishing the students.”

The association is calling on the National Assembly, the Federal Ministries of Education and Health, and the university management to:

· Provide a structured solution and clear timeline for clinical accreditation.

· Compensate affected students for the lost years and financial strain.

· Prevent the exacerbation of Nigeria's brain drain crisis.

“If we can’t make it smooth and easy for our own here, how do we stem the ‘japa’ trend?” Bisani asked. “We are the future of the profession, but this trauma can leave lifelong scars.”

The students expressed gratitude to Governor Mutfwang, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and other groups for their support, ending with a final, heartfelt plea: “Well-meaning Nigerians... please come to our aid. Do not allow our dreams to die.”