Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Forum of Parents of Dental Students at the University of Uyo (Uniuyo) in Akwa Ibom State has sounded an urgent alarm over the non‑accreditation of the dentistry programme. According to the group, the programme has remained unaccredited since its inception in 2021, raising fears that pioneer students risk spending extra years in school if nothing is done to avert the looming academic crisis.
The parents made their concerns known on Friday, May 8, 2026, during a press conference in Uyo, shortly after a peaceful protest. They were seen displaying placards with inscriptions such as “Do not normalise extra years for professional students”, “Save the future of Uniuyo Dental Students now”, and “We reject unnecessary prolongation for our children”.
Speaking through Otuekong Vincent Udoh, the chairman of the forum, Mr Sunday Elijah expressed deep pessimism about the university’s ability to secure accreditation in the one‑year‑and‑four‑month window remaining before the pioneer students are scheduled to graduate. He noted that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) had not been invited for an advisory visit, let alone a formal accreditation visit. “Ideally, accreditation should have been secured before the admission of students into the programme,” the forum’s statement read. “However, the university is only now making attempts to procure limited equipment, which are insufficient in relation to the current student population per class and do not meet established accreditation standards.”
In particular, the parents pointed to the purchase of only ten dental chairs and ten phantom heads, which they described as “grossly insufficient” to meet accreditation requirements. They warned that without immediate alternative measures, students who are already in the clinical phase could be stranded. To avert such a catastrophe, the forum proposed a merger of the dentistry students into the MBBS programme, arguing that they had already undergone the same foundational medical training, sat for the same Part I and Part II Bachelor of Medicine examinations, and participated in the same clinical postings as their medical counterparts. The forum believes such a merger would be the most practical and immediate solution, avoiding the years that would be needed to construct new facilities and recruit lecturers.
The parents also called on the MDCN to show clemency and to hold the university management accountable without subjecting innocent students to further hardship.
When contacted, the acting vice‑chancellor of Uniuyo, Prof. Samuel Odewumi, admitted that securing accreditation for the dentistry programme has become a big concern to him since he assumed office. He assured that the university management would do everything within its powers to ensure accreditation is secured. “If there is anything I have been concerned about since I came into office, it is this issue of accreditation. We have done everything as an institution that needed to be done, including award of contracts and lot more. It is not something that could be done in a day or two, but I want to assure you that everything is in progress. What is left is to invite the council for accreditation of the programme,” the vice‑chancellor said.
The situation at Uniuyo echoes a similar crisis at the University of Jos, where dental students this week protested because their programme had remained unaccredited for nearly a decade, keeping the pioneer class from graduating. The parents of the Uniuyo dental students are now demanding that authorities act swiftly to prevent a repeat of that nightmare on their campus.
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