Over a year after fleeing conflict in Sudan, 47 Nigerian medical students are facing uncertainty as they struggle to meet requirements for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) qualifying exams.
The students, who were in their final year at Sudan International University (SIU) before being evacuated in May 2023, say their hopes of practicing medicine in Nigeria now hang in the balance due to missing visa documentation.
According to the students, their academic journey continued in Nigeria following approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which allowed them to complete their studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) in Sokoto. They graduated in 2024 with certificates from SIU.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, one student explained that they were now preparing for the MDCN examination scheduled for June 2025. However, the requirement to present both a first entry visa and a last exit visa has become a major obstacle.
“Most of our passports were left behind during the emergency evacuation. We don’t have the exit and entry visa stamps, which are now blocking our registration,” the student said.
Najid Hassan, President of the Nigerian Students Association at SIU, confirmed that the students resumed at UDUTH in December 2023 after an MoU was signed between SIU and UDUTH, with NUC’s approval. He said they completed all required coursework and clinical training over a year and graduated in October 2024.
Hassan added that although the MDCN initially appeared to accept their academic records, the insistence on specific visa documentation has left the students in limbo.
“We appeal to the Federal Government and relevant authorities to assist us. We’ve worked hard and fulfilled our academic obligations under challenging circumstances,” he said.
MDCN, established under the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, is responsible for setting educational standards and conducting assessment exams for foreign-trained medical graduates. One of the conditions for registration includes submission of passport pages showing visa entries and exits.
In a 2024 advisory, MDCN Registrar, Dr Fatima Kyari, acknowledged the impact of global disruptions like COVID-19 and the wars in Sudan and Ukraine. She outlined special integration pathways for affected students, including physical return to their original university or transfer to accredited Nigerian institutions with NUC approval.
However, Kyari clarified that the academic arrangement between SIU and UDUTH was not recognised as an official clinical training route for MDCN registration.
“Only those who properly transferred and graduated from MDCN-approved Nigerian universities have been registered,” she said.
Responding to the issue, Hajiya Rakiya Ilyasu, Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, advised the students to submit a formal letter to the Minister of Education, including a list of affected names and copying the Director of Education Support Services.
NUC Deputy Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, also confirmed awareness of the matter and urged the students to liaise with the Ministry of Education to resolve the documentation challenge.
Efforts by NAN to get comments from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and Usmanu Danfodiyo University were unsuccessful as officials declined to speak or were unavailable at the time of reporting.
