The Alarming Trend of Students Squandering Opportunities on Unrecognized Courses

Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, is faced with a pressing issue as students, parents, and lecturers condemn universities, with the National Universities Commission (NUC) poised to take action against errant institutions.

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A striking example of this crisis is the plight of 160 medical students at Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, Edo State, who spent 10 years completing a six-year course, only to be told they would not be inducted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) after their final examinations.

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These students completed their studies in August 2024, after roughly a decade of study, and were left stranded without induction, a situation that persisted until January 2025, when Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, intervened to resolve the impasse, resulting in the induction of 128 students later that year.

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Hundreds of Nursing students from the same institution faced a similar ordeal for years, until Okpebholo stepped in to facilitate their induction by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

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The University of Benin is currently grappling with a similar issue, having admitted more students for Optometry than the quota allotted by the accrediting authorities.

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In a notable case, the management of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, faced a lawsuit from students who were admitted to study Engineering, but were demoted from 300 and 400 levels to 200 levels due to the programme's lack of accreditation from the NUC.

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The genesis of the University of Calabar issue dates back to 2021, when over 200 Engineering students were demoted from their final year and third year to second year because the university had not secured accreditation for the course.

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The decision sparked controversy, with some students accepting their fate, while eight students, led by Idiong Ekpedeme Godwin, took the university to court, filing suit FHC/CA/CS/117/21 against the university, its former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, and four others.

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The students sought a declaration that the university's actions were "illegal, fraudulent, reckless, and deceitful" for admitting them without NUC accreditation for the Engineering Course.

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In a landmark judgment, the court, presided over by Justice R. O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie, awarded the plaintiffs N50 million in general damages and N5.247 million in special damages for the psychological trauma and academic stagnation they suffered.

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The students provided evidence that the Engineering Course had secured full accreditation in the 2024/2025 academic year, and the judge ruled that "no institution should operate a programme without prior NUC approval" and that the university owes a "duty of care to disclose the accreditation status of its courses to prospective students."

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The National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, described the development as "shameful" and emphasized that it erodes academic culture in universities.

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Dr. Sunmonu stated that the ideal approach would be for universities not to admit students to unaccredited programs, and if accreditation is lost after admission, the university should be transparent about the situation and stop admitting new students until accreditation is secured.