At University of Nigeria (UNN) Undergraduates of the Faculty of Dentistry commended former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, for enabling the re-accreditation of the faculty by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
According to the students, Obi’s intervention last year saved them from the embarrassment of graduating from the faculty without licences to practise. “It would have been terrible,” narrates a student who identified herself as Nneka. “I had moments of anxiety when it was becoming obvious that my dream of becoming a dental surgeon was fading.
It would have been worse when one had gone through the academic rigors and paid all the dues but ended up not licensed to practice because of accreditation. It was also an irony that UNN of all institutions waited for Obi’s intervention to attain the re-accreditation of the faculty. We need more of Peter Obi across the federation. I have friends in other universities facing the same fate.”
A parent, Sylvester Ezema, said his joy knew no limits after the re-accreditation. “I have been having sleepless nights,” he told our correspondent. “I borrow to train my daughter in that faculty. One day, she told me that the faculty was having accreditation issues. I almost fainted. She said I should pray.
We committed the whole thing to God. I wondered because UNN gets allocations from the FG. It generates funds from students. It also enjoys grants and funding from local and foreign donors, yet an essential faculty like Dentistry was facing a re-accreditation problem. I heard that Peter Obi gave them some money to help avert the looming danger. I thank the management for not misappropriating the grant from Obi.”
A researcher and chartered account, Uche Nnadi, recalled that, “In July, 2025, the Faculty of Dentistry, the only accredited dental school in the Southeast, was in difficulty meeting the accreditation requirements set by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) which will lead to the loss of its licence. The department was at risk of losing accreditation due to a shortage of essential equipment and laboratory facilities, which limited their graduation quota to only 15 dental surgeons annually.
