Medical students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, have threatened a confrontation with the university authorities unless the accreditation of their courses by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria is achieved. This development comes five years after the students were admitted into the institution, leaving them unable to progress beyond the 300 level.

Checks revealed that the accreditation delay has created a bottleneck where three sets are currently stuck in the 300 level. An anonymous source disclosed that the first set was accepted in October 2021 and matriculated in 2022, with normal science courses initially running smoothly. However, differences emerged as the school introduced a separate fee called pre clinical fees, later renamed professional fees, payable only by MBBS students.

The source lamented that the first professional exam was initially scheduled for November 2024 but was not held, leading to a meeting where parents were told a year would be added to meet requirements. “It is here we started seeing that it’s like these people don’t know what they’re doing, or they did not count the cost before they started building this house, because tell me why for two years now, we’ve not been accredited?” the source stated.

Furthermore, the source revealed that by the end of 2025, they were informed that an extra three months were needed, and by March 2026, nothing had happened. The provost reportedly requested N4 million from parents to purchase items for a mock accreditation exercise. “Knowing that there are still three other accreditations to be gotten before we finally graduate is worrying,” the source added.

The source noted that while other universities like KWASU, Fulafia, and FUHSI already have accreditation, FUTA currently has five sets in its MBBS programme. “Right now, there are five sets in FUTA MBBS. We have three sets in 300 level A, B, and C. Nobody is moving anywhere,” the source affirmed.

Meanwhile, a university management source assured that the accreditation exercise expected later this month would be successful, as necessary steps have been taken. The medical students maintained that they have wasted enough time and are prepared for a showdown if the outcome is not favourable.