Council Stops transfer of UniAbuja Medical Students

 The Governing Council of the University of Abuja has stopped the planned transfer of the institution’s medical students to other higher institutions.

The council also set up a three-member Ad-hoc Committee to probe the accreditation crisis in the university and recommend appropriate sanctions for those that might be indicted.

 The committee has Prof. Anthony Adegbulugbe as chairman while Hajia Aisha Babangida and Prof. Ediga Agbo are members.

 Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Agbo, who spoke on the behalf of the Council Chairman, Dr. Sam Ogbemudia, said the decision to stop the transfer was reached at the council’s 27th extra ordinary meeting in Abuja.

 Agbo said the Ogbemudia-led council had contacted eight other universities with medical schools in search of space for the students but the move was not successful.

 He said, “Right now, medical colleges are already carrying a little above their carrying capacity.

 If the students should be transferred to other schools, there will need to apply to the NUC, which means the fate that befell them at their original institution will still befall them to where ever they get transfered to.”

 The National Universities Commission had last year withdrawn the accreditation for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and all Engineering courses in the university.

 The institution, however through the approval of the NUC secured transfer for its engineering students to other universities.

 The medical students, whose department is awaiting the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s verification, last week disrupted the first semester examination of the Distance Learning Students of the university.

 The protesters, who claimed that they had spent at least eight years in the school, also demanded N10m compensation fee each.