Nigerian medical students who studied in Sudan in dilemma over registration for Nigerian Medical Dental Council Examination

A group of 47 Nigerian medical students who escaped war-torn Sudan in May 2023 are now in dilemma over registration for the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) examination due to a document snag.

Penpushing reports that it is recalled that these students were evacuated to Nigeria during the 2023 conflict in Sudan while in their final year of study at Sudan International University (SIU)

The students fled the country and evacuated by the Nigerian government without exit visas, ironically, they are currently racing against hard time to meet the registration deadline.

Penpushing further reports that following this development their future careers hanging precariously in the balance, as they now struggle to register for the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) examination.

The students claimed that 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.

Penpushing also reports that one of the affected students stated that they successfully completed their studies and graduated in 2024, receiving their certificates as students of Sudan International University (SIU)

The student added that they were currently preparing to sit for the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) examinations, explaining 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,” he said.

Penpushing reports that Najid Hassan, President of the Nigerian Students Association at Sudan International University (SIU), confirmed that due to the war in Sudan, the students were evacuated by the Nigerian government.

The students leader explained that with National Universities Commission (NUC), approval, the affected students were allowed to continue their academic programme at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.

Penpushing further reports that he stated that this followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sudan International University (SIU) and Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH).

“After the MoU, we resumed studies at UDUTH in December 2023 and spent one year there. We completed clinical rotations, lectures in gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery, and medicine, and graduated in October 2024. We took examinations supervised by consultants at UDUTH’, he added

Penpushing also reports that Hassan emphasized that after graduation, students were awarded certificates bearing the Sudan International University (SIU) name, lamenting that when they approached Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (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’, Hassan said.

Penpushing reports that the President of the Nigerian Students Association at Sudan International University (SIU), however, appealed to the Nigerian government to intervene.

The Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) is the regulatory body for Medicine and Dentistry in Nigeria and was established by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, which had been operational since December 18, 1963, and updated under the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Penpushing further reports that the council’s statutory functions include setting and reviewing standards for medical and dental education, while sections 9(3) and (4) of the Act empower the council to conduct assessment exams for holders of foreign medical or dental qualifications recognised by their countries of origin.

The candidates expected to sit for these examinations are trained outside Nigeria at institutions listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, while one of the application requirements is submitting relevant portions of international passports, including visas and arrival/departure stamps.

Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) Registrar Fatima Kyari in a 2024 publication addressing students returning from conflict zones, reaffirmed these rules but expressed sympathy for students affected by coronavirus and conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan.

‘The council has held extensive consultations and developed remediation pathways to facilitate integration. Students graduating in 2023 or later were advised to return to a designated campus of their foreign university to complete studies physically’, Kyari said.

‘They can also transfer to an accredited Nigerian university, subject to NUC approval; or integrate into a Nigerian university per NUC guidelines. Many students from Sudan and Ukraine have successfully integrated through these pathways, exempting them from the foreign-trained medical and dental graduates (FTMDG) exams if graduating from Nigerian institutions’, she stated.

Penpushing further reports that she explained that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) was an academic collaboration and did not equate to clinical training for a medical qualification recognised by Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN).

The registrar noted that students who properly transferred and graduated from Nigerian universities approved by Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) had been indexed, graduated, and registered as doctors.

Penpushing also reports that the Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu acknowledged the situation and advised the affected students to formally write to the Minister of Education, including their names, and to copy the Director of Education Support Services to help facilitate a resolution.

The Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Chris Maiyaki, in same vein confirmed that the agency was aware of the development and equally advised the students to contact the Ministry of Education to resolve the issues.

Penpushing reports that the Deputy Provost of the Medical School, however, declined comments explaining that he is not authorized to speak on the issue, while the Vice Chancellor, Prof Bashir Garba, on his own gave excuse he was on transit and would respond at appropriate time.

Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, as well as authorities of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) were yet to respond to the disturbing development

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