Tension has erupted at the University of Jos as dozens of dental students took to the streets to protest the non-accreditation of their programme — a situation that has kept many of them in school for over ten years without graduating. The students, visibly frustrated, blocked the university’s main gate on Wednesday, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards that read, “Save us from unending depression,” “Our future is on hold,” and “Accredit us now.”
Leading the protest, the President of the Jos University Dental Students Association, Mr. Johnson Titus, expressed deep disappointment over what he called years of neglect. He revealed that students had been trapped in the system with no clear timeline for accreditation or graduation. “We have been stagnating for over a decade,” he said. “The university keeps admitting students into a programme that isn’t even accredited, and no one tells us the truth.”
According to Titus, the students want the university management and relevant authorities to fix the problem by resolving the curriculum issues and obtaining accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). “If we had known there was no accreditation, many of us would never have applied,” he added, blaming the university for lack of transparency.
Another protester, Nwike Pius, accused the school of dishonesty. “We hear one thing from the university and a completely different story from the Council,” he lamented. “We’ve tried to reach the Vice Chancellor, but no one is listening.” Their frustration, he said, stems from years of broken promises and wasted time.
Attempts to get a response from the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Chris Piwuna, were unsuccessful. However, a source close to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, claimed the management was already working to address the issue. The source revealed that the university recently opened bidding for ₦800 million worth of capital projects, including the purchase of dental equipment, and that senior faculty members had met with the MDCN to set a date for accreditation.
Even with these assurances, the students remain skeptical. They insist they won’t leave the university gate until tangible steps are taken. For them, this isn’t just a protest — it’s a desperate cry for justice after a decade of academic uncertainty and emotional exhaustion.
