Academic and sporting activities at the University of Jos were disrupted on Wednesday as students of the Faculty of Dentistry staged a massive protest over the institution’s alleged failure to secure accreditation for their programme — a setback that has kept some of them in school for more than a decade without graduation.
The aggrieved students barricaded all entrances and exits to the campus, halting movement and affecting preparations for the ongoing Nigerian University Games (NUGA), which the university is hosting. They carried placards demanding immediate action and expressing anger over years of unfulfilled promises from management.
President of the Jos University Dental Students Association (JUDSA), Johnson Titus Bisani, told journalists that the prolonged delay had left many students frustrated and uncertain about their future.
“We have students who have spent 10 years in this school without graduation. The first set has been here for a decade now without accreditation,” Bisani said. “We’ve engaged management countless times, but all we get are repeated promises that accreditation is coming. The Vice Chancellor told us he would meet with the Medical and Dental Council and get back to us, but that never happened.”
He accused the university of giving conflicting information about the true status of the accreditation, saying “different stories come from the management and the council.”
Bisani said the students would continue their protest until the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, personally addresses them and provides definite timelines for accreditation and induction.
“We want a definite date for accreditation and also for the induction of the first, second, and third sets. We need a proper curriculum and clarity from the management. We will continue this protest until the university addresses us directly,” he insisted.
When asked about the potential impact on the ongoing NUGA Games, Bisani maintained that students’ welfare should take precedence.
“We have been here for 10 years. Our emotional and academic wellbeing should be a greater priority than any sporting event,” he said.
Another protesting student, Wike Pius, who was admitted in 2015 as part of the pioneer set, expressed deep disappointment with the institution’s handling of the programme.
“When we were admitted, we were assured that we wouldn’t spend a day longer than our MBBS colleagues. Today, our colleagues have graduated and moved on, while we remain here without any certainty,” he lamented.
Pius said despite multiple meetings with management, no concrete progress has been achieved.
“We’ve met the Provost, the Dean, and even the Vice Chancellor several times. They talk, make promises, but take no action. The biggest problem is that no one is telling us the truth. One day it’s about lack of dental chairs, the next day it’s about lecturers. We are tired of excuses,” he added.
The students also criticized the university for continuing to admit new candidates into the unaccredited programme.
“It’s wrong to blame the students,” Bisani said. “We were never told the course lacked accreditation. The university kept listing Dentistry as an option on its admission portal. If we had known, many of us would never have applied.”
As of press time, the university management had not released an official statement. Security personnel were seen at the campus gates trying to restore order, while NUGA delegations arriving for the games were temporarily stranded.
The protesting students vowed to sustain their demonstration until their demands are met, insisting they will not relent until the long-awaited accreditation becomes a reality.
A month after the mass abduction of 46 Oyo schoolchildren and teachers by terrorists on May 15 and the decapitation of a teacher, the captives remain in the forest despite military claims and political promises from President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde.
The terrorists kidnapped the students and staffers after invading schools in the Esienle and Yawota communities in Orire local council in Oyo state.
Days after the abduction, one of the teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by the terrorists, pressuring the government to meet their demands for the release of the abductees.
On May 19, four days after the abduction, the Defence Headquarters, in a statement by its spokesperson, Michael Onoja, said, “Troops are currently deployed and actively operating within the forest in pursuit of the perpetrators and in search of the abducted victims.”
“Troops made contact with the criminal elements two days ago, have since reorganised, and are continuing the search and pursuit operations with full determination.”
The military and the government cited collateral damage as a reason for not taking out the terrorists.
While the schoolchildren and their teachers languish in captivity, Messrs Tinubu and Makinde have been engaging in electioneering as they chase their presidential dreams, both emerging as their party’s candidates for the 2027 election.
On May 31, Mr Makinde visited the hostages’ communities, promising their families the safe return of those abducted.
“This is not the time to start trading blame on who should be responsible for the release of these children between the state and federal government. This is just the time to come together to rescue our children and their teachers, Mr Makinde told the families of abductees. “All I need is your cooperation. Please trust us. I cannot speak much because it has security implications. I know your hearts are bleeding. My heart is also bleeding. Please trust us. We will secure their release.”
Similarly, a delegation representing Mr Tinubu, led by his chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the families and made a similar promise.
In a video released by the terrorists, Rachael Alamu, one of the hostages and the principal of Community High School Esinele, begged Messrs Tinubu and Makinde to negotiate with the terrorists to secure their release.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State House of Assembly has opposed negotiating with the terrorists.
Debo Ogundoyin, the speaker of the assembly, said the state would not pay ransom, give weapons to terrorists or change laws to accommodate the kidnappers.
Several protests have followed the government’s failure to rescue the hostages.
Amid public outrage and discontent, many Nigerians protested across several states, including Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Bayelsa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory, demanding the immediate rescue of the hostages.
In his Democracy Day speech on June 12, Mr Tinubu said, “Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno, we remain hopeful for their safe return. Democracy without security is not solid enough.”
The president urged terrorists and bandits across the country to lay down their arms or face the wrath of his administration.
The Plateau State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has joined its counterparts across the country in protesting the abduction of pupils and teachers from a primary school in Oyo State.
Hundreds of teachers staged a demonstration in Jos, the Plateau State capital, carrying placards and banners to express their anger over the continued captivity of the victims several weeks after the incident.
The protesters called on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the immediate and safe release of the abducted pupils and teachers, stressing that schools must remain safe spaces for learning.
They also expressed concern over the growing trend of school-related abductions in parts of the country, warning that such incidents could discourage parents from sending their children to school if not urgently addressed.
The union urged authorities to strengthen security around educational institutions and ensure the safe return of all victims still in captivity.
