The university was accused of failing to induct the affected medical graduates despite fulfilling conditions required before they can be inducted.
Authorities of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, have been accused of oppression and victimising 39 graduates from the school’s medical college.
The university was accused of failing to induct the affected medical graduates despite fulfilling conditions required before they can be inducted.
According to a list obtained by SaharaReporters, 167 individuals were deemed eligible to graduate, but only 128 are scheduled to be inducted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) in February.
This situation has sparked agitations and protests. The induction ceremony is set for February 13, 2025. Medical students pointed out that they spent 10 years completing a six-year course, having started in 2015 and graduated in August 2024.
The affected graduates, who had previously protested on January 9, 2025, noted that they were assured by Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, that he would intervene and ensure a swift resolution.
SaharaReporters learnt that despite the pledge, only 128 names were forwarded for induction, leaving out 39 graduates without any justifiable reason.
“167 of us were graduated from the institution but only 128 are being planned for induction leaving 39 of us,” one of the affected students told SaharaReporters.
The source alleged that this omission of the 39 graduates was done because no one would fight for them.
“We are being victimised because we do not have anyone to fight for us,” one of the affected graduates told SaharaReporters.
“They want us to join our juniors; that is, the 39 of us affected, they want us to join those who will graduate by June/July this year and wait for these our juniors to be inducted. It is not done anywhere in the world. You cannot victimise some persons and then allow others to be inducted.”
A statement by the Concerned Medical Graduates of AAU, also noted that the exclusion is not due to any academic deficiencies but rather administrative negligence and deliberate actions by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel, and the Provost of the College of Medicine.
"This exclusion is not based on merit or qualification but on sheer administrative incompetence. The Governor himself assured us that our issue would be resolved, yet here we are, with 39 of our colleagues still left out," the statement read.
The excluded students stated that they are now being forced to sign undertakings to abstain from induction,” an action the graduates describe as a blatant violation of their rights.”
"It is unacceptable that, after all the struggles and delays, some of us are now being coerced into forfeiting our rightful induction. This is an act of oppression, and we will not stand for it," one of the affected graduates lamented.
“In light of this development, the Concerned Medical Graduates of AAU have vowed to resume agitations immediately until all 167 graduates are inducted,” the statement read in part.
The affected students called on Governor Okpebholo to “uphold his promise and ensure that university management is mandated to present the excluded names to MDCN without delay.”
The group also stated that they have lost confidence in the leadership of the Acting Vice-Chancellor and the Provost, accusing them of failing to live up to expectations and neglecting the future of young medical professionals in the state.
Commenting on the development, the Dean of Clinicals at the Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, Andrews Dongo, denied that the University was oppressing any student during a phone conversation with SaharaReporters. He however acknowledged that the school went beyond the stipulated quota of 50 persons given to it.
“We are not oppressing any students; the issue came from the MDCN (Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria) because we were said to have violated different laws in terms of quota given to us by the university.
“We were given 50 students quota by the MDCN, so when we noted that we graduated 167 students and would want to induct them, it was a major crisis.”
He noted that the institution's appeals to the MDCN resulted in permission being granted to conduct two separate induction ceremonies for the students.
“The first set of students we graduated in August 2024, were 128, and second set in November, that’s 39 persons. When we were told that we should induct twice, we decided to induct the first set that graduated in August and induct the second set afterwards,” he said.
He noted that the MDCN had agreed to induct the second set of 39 graduates by July 2025.
Commenting on the development, one of the affected graduates however denied the Dean’s claims.
The affected graduate insisted that the University played politics with the list of 128 persons sent to the MDCN.
“All of us graduated at same time in August but they played politics with the list. Why did some persons graduate in August but did not make the list if the Dean claims that only those who graduated in August were sent for the first batch? We all graduated at same time,” the affected graduate said.