UYO – The academic future of over 140 dental students at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) is in jeopardy, as Forum of Parents of Dental Students’ urgently appeals to the state and federal governments for immediate intervention.
At a press conference held on Friday May 8, 2026 parents called for the immediate merger of Year 3, 4, and 5 Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme to prevent a total academic collapse.
The Dentistry programme, which began in the 2020/2021 session, currently has its pioneer set in their fifth year of a six-year course.
However, the Forum revealed that the Faculty of Dentistry currently lacks accreditation at both pre-clinical and clinical levels.
In a shocking revelation, representatives of the parents met with the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Phrofessor Fatima Kyari, on April 7, 2026, who reportedly stated that the Council was unaware the University of Uyo was even offering Dentistry.
The parents highlighted a severe lack of infrastructure necessary for professional training, citing the absence of: a dedicated Faculty building and equipped dental clinics, prosthodontics, oral biology, and operative techniques laboratories, sufficient dental chairs, phantom heads for simulation, and qualified lecturers.
While the university recently approved the purchase of ten dental chairs and ten phantom heads, parents dismissed this as “grossly insufficient” for the current student population.
Furthermore, they criticized the university for admitting up to 45 students per class—exceeding the capacity of institutions with full accreditation despite having no approved quota from the MDCN.
The Forum is proposing an internal merger as the “most immediate and practical” solution, arguing that, the merger is academically justified because dental students in these levels have already undergone the same foundational medical training as MBBS students, and participated in the same clinical postings in Medicine and Surgery.
The parents noted that the MBBS programme’s quota has not been exceeded; for instance, the Year 5 class has only 87 combined medical and dental students against an approved quota of 150.
Chairman of the Parents’ Forum, Mr. Sunday Elijah represented at the briefing by Otuekong Vincent Udoh stated that, previous engagements with the university management yielded no concrete action, with the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, who dismissed the merger as “not feasible” for a federal institution.
The parents have now escalated their plea to the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and the MDCN demanding a clearly defined timeline for corrective actions and a structured plan to address the faculty’s deficiencies.
“Aspiring to become a doctor or a dental surgeon should not result in avoidable setbacks due to systemic lapses.
“The future of these students is closely tied to the future of our healthcare system”, the Forum of Parents’ of Dental Students’ pleaded.
The acting Vice Chancellor, University of Uyo, Prof. Samuel Odewumi when contacted the telephone admitted that, securing accreditation for the dentistry programme has become his headache since assumption of office.
He assured that the university management will do everything within its powers to ensure that accreditation for the academic programme is secured.
“If there is anything I have been concerned about since I came into office, is this issue of accreditation. We have done everything as an institution that needed to be done, including award of contracts and lots 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 Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for accreditation of the programme,” the VC said.
