By Ayodele Oni
Inability to produce necessary visas by a group of Nigerian medical students from the war torn Sudan has blocked their chances to register for necessary Examinations being conducted by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council, (MDCN).
The affected students doctors, numbering 47, escaped from the war-torn Sudan in May 2023, and are now struggling to register for the MDCN examination due to a document snag.
The students, many of whom fled or were evacuated by the Federal Government without exit visas, are currently racing against time to meet the registration deadline, with their future careers hanging precariously in the balance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that these students, who were enrolled at Sudan International University (SIU), were evacuated to Nigeria during the 2023 conflict in Sudan while some of them were in final year of study.
According to the students, with the approval of the National Universities Commission (NUC), they were permitted to continue their academic programme at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) in Sokoto.
Speaking to NAN on Sunday in Abuja, one student said: “We successfully completed our studies and graduated in 2024, receiving our certificates as students of SIU.”
He added that they were currently preparing to sit for the MDCN examinations and that one of the requirements was presenting a first entry visa and a last exit visa.
“Unfortunately, none of us have these documents as most of our passports remained in Sudan due to the emergency evacuation. We respectfully request permission to sit for the examinations scheduled for June 2025.”
The President of the Nigerian Students Association at SIU, Najid Hassan, confirmed that due to the war in Sudan, Nigerian students were evacuated by the Federal Government.
Hassan explained that with NUC approval, the affected students were allowed to continue their academic programme at UDUTH following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SIU and UDUTH.
“After the MoU, we resumed studies at UDUTH in December 2023 and spent one year there. We completed clinical rotations, lectures in gynaecology, pediatrics, surgery, and medicine, and graduated in October 2024.
“We took examinations supervised by consultants at UDUTH.”
He explained that after graduation, students were awarded certificates bearing the SIU name.
Hassan, however, said that when they approached MDCN for registration, the process, expected to be seamless, became challenging.
“We are currently preparing for the MDCN exams, but one requirement is the submission of a ‘first entry visa and a last exit visa.”
He added that after graduation, students were awarded certificates bearing the SIU name.
Hassan, revealed further that when they approached MDCN for registration, the process, expected to be seamless, became challenging.
“We are currently preparing for the MDCN exams, but one requirement is the submission of a ‘first entry visa and a last exit visa.’
“Unfortunately, none of us have these documents because most passports remain in Sudan due to emergency evacuation.” He appealed to the Federal Government to intervene.
NAN reports that MDCN is the regulatory body for Medicine and Dentistry in Nigeria and was established by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act.
The Act had been operational since December 18, 1963, and updated under the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The council’s statutory functions include setting and reviewing standards for medical and dental education.
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