Forty-seven Nigerian medical students who fled the war in Sudan in 2023 are currently unable to register for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) licensing exams due to missing travel documents.
According to News Agency if Nigeria (NAN) report on Sunday, the students, formerly enrolled at Sudan International University (SIU), were evacuated during the conflict without proper exit visas, leaving many of their passports behind.
With the National Universities Commission (NUC) approval, they continued their medical training at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) in Sokoto under a formal academic agreement.
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They completed clinical rotations and graduated in 2024 with certificates issued by SIU. Now preparing to take the MDCN assessment in June 2025, they are being denied registration for failing to provide required documents—specifically, first entry and last exit visas.
Najid Hassan, who leads the Nigerian Students Association at SIU, urged government authorities to step in, stressing that the students had fulfilled all academic obligations despite the war disruption.
While the MDCN has provisions for graduates affected by global crises such as COVID-19 and wars in Ukraine and Sudan, its registrar, Dr. Fatima Kyari, emphasized that only students who properly transferred to MDCN-recognized Nigerian institutions and completed their education locally are eligible for full registration.
The Federal Ministry of Education has acknowledged the issue and advised the students to write to the Minister of Education and include the Director of Education Support Services in the correspondence to help find a solution.
The NUC also confirmed the matter and advised the affected students to liaise with the Ministry of Education for further assistance.
Attempts to reach key officials from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Usmanu Danfodiyo University for comments were unsuccessful.
