SUNTV Global Channel Report
Medical students at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University in Niger State are facing an uncertain academic future as the institution’s long-awaited teaching hospital project remains incomplete, forcing their clinical training and professional examinations to remain on hold.
Sources told SUNTV Global Channel that Medicine and Surgery students at the university’s College of Health Sciences have been unable to progress academically because the facilities required for accreditation are yet to meet regulatory standards.
Temporary hospitals designated for clinical training — including General Hospital Minna, Jummai Babangida Aliyu Maternal and Neonatal Hospital, and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialist Hospital — are reportedly still below the minimum requirements set by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
An MDCN accreditation team that visited the university in November 2025 was unable to complete its inspection due to the unfinished teaching hospital project located at the former Shiroro Hotel site in Minna.
The council had earlier given the university and the Niger State Government a six-month deadline to correct the identified deficiencies. However, students say little progress has been made since then.
Many of them were expected to sit their first professional examinations in 2025 — a critical milestone required before advancing to clinical training in 400 level — but the exams have been repeatedly postponed.
Affected students told SUNTV Global Channel that their academic journey has stalled because practical hospital training has not begun.
According to them, courses at the 200 and 300 levels remain entirely theoretical, and without passing their professional exams, they cannot proceed to hands-on clinical work.
They also expressed fears that prolonged delays could jeopardize their careers and future licensing opportunities.
Sources further revealed that funding delays from the Niger State Government are a major factor slowing the project. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago is yet to release the funds required to complete the teaching hospital.
In 2024, the state government approved about ₦18.9 billion to convert the former Shiroro Hotel into the university’s permanent teaching hospital — a project expected to boost healthcare delivery and provide training opportunities.
In an official statement, the university management acknowledged the concerns of students and parents but assured that efforts are ongoing to meet MDCN requirements.
The institution said it is working closely with the state government and relevant ministries through a tripartite committee established to fast-track compliance.
While urging calm, the university admitted that delays in accreditation have affected professional exams and clinical training schedules.
For now, students remain in limbo — waiting for the completion of the teaching hospital and the restoration of full accreditation — as years of delays continue to cast a shadow over their medical education and career prospects.
