A group of 47 Nigerian medical students who escaped war-torn Sudan in May 2023 are now struggling to register for the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) examination due to a document snag.The students, many of who fled or were evacuated by the Federal Government without exit visas, are currently racing against time to meet the registration deadline, with their future careers hanging precariously in the balance.

Report says that these students, who were enrolled at Sudan International University (SIU), were evacuated to Nigeria during the 2023 conflict in Sudan while in final year of study. According to the students, with the approval of the National Universities Commission (NUC), they were permitted to continue their academic programme at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) in Sokoto.Speaking to NAN on Sunday in Abuja, one student said: “We successfully completed our studies and graduated in 2024, receiving our certificates as students of SIU.”He added that they were currently preparing to sit for the MDCN examinations.The student, however, added that one of the requirements was presenting a first entry visa and a last exit visa.“Unfortunately, none of us have these documents as most of our passports remained in Sudan due to the emergency evacuation.“We respectfully request permission to sit for the examinations scheduled for June 2025,” he said.The President of the Nigerian Students Association at SIU, Najid Hassan, confirmed that due to the war in Sudan, Nigerian students were evacuated by the Federal Government.Hassan explained that with NUC approval, the affected students were allowed to continue their academic programme at UDUTH following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SIU and UDUTH.“After the MoU, we resumed studies at UDUTH in December 2023 and spent one year there.“We completed clinical rotations, lectures in gynaecology, pediatrics, surgery, and medicine, and graduated in October 2024.“We took examinations supervised by consultants at UDUTH,” Hassan said.He added that after graduation, students were awarded certificates bearing the SIU name.Hassan, however, said that when they approached MDCN for registration, the process, expected to be seamless, became challenging.“We are currently preparing for the MDCN exams, but one requirement is the submission of a ‘first entry visa and a last exit visa.’“Unfortunately, none of us have these documents because most passports remain in Sudan due to emergency evacuation,” Hassan said.He appealed to the Federal Government to intervene.NAN reports that MDCN is the regulatory body for Medicine and Dentistry in Nigeria and was established by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act.The Act had been operational since Dec. 18, 1963, and updated under the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.The council’s statutory functions include setting and reviewing standards for medical and dental education.Section 9(3) and (4) of the Act empowers the council to conduct assessment exams for holders of foreign medical or dental qualifications recognised by their countries of origin.Candidates expected to sit for these examinations are trained outside Nigeria at institutions listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools.One of the application requirements is submitting relevant portions of international passports, including visa and arrival/departure stamps.In a 2024 publication addressing students returning from conflict zones, MDCN Registrar Dr Fatima Kyari, reaffirmed these rules but expressed sympathy for students affected by COVID-19 and conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan.“The council has held extensive consultations and developed remediation pathways to facilitate integration.”“Students graduating in 2023 or later were advised to return to a designated campus of their foreign university to complete studies physically.“They can also transfer to an accredited Nigerian university, subject to NUC approval; or integrate into a Nigerian university per NUC guidelines.“Many students from Sudan and Ukraine have successfully integrated through these pathways, exempting them from the foreign-trained medical and dental graduates (FTMDG) exams if graduating from Nigerian institutions,” Kyari said.She explained that the MoU with UDUTH was an academic collaboration and did not equate to clinical training for medical qualification recognised by MDCN.She noted that students who properly transferred and graduated from Nigerian universities approved by MDCN had been indexed, graduated, and registered as doctors.The Federal Ministry of Education, through the Director of University Education, Hajiya Rakiya Ilyasu, acknowledged the situation.She advised the affected students to formally write to the Minister of Education, including their names, and to copy the Director of Education Support Services to help facilitate a resolution.Similarly, NUC Deputy Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, confirmed awareness of the development and advised students to contact the Ministry of Education to resolve the issues.However, all efforts by NAN to obtain a response from Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), regarding the students’ plea proved unsuccessful.Similarly, all efforts to get a reaction from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) failed.The Deputy Provost of the Medical School, said he had no authority to speak on the issue, while the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bashir Garba, said he was on transit and would respond appropriately.(NAN)

 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has asked all of his Cabinet secretaries to submit their resignations on Thursday in what he called a “bold reset” of his administration following last week’s mid-term elections.

The elections saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats, signaling shifting political tides.

Marcos, the 67-year-old son of the late Philippine dictator overthrown in 1986, won the presidency in a landslide in 2022, a stunning political comeback marked by a call for national unity.

However, his vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, also widely popular, later distanced herself from Marcos in a falling-out that had sparked intense political discord.

Marcos had since emerged as one of the region’s most vocal critics of China’s aggression in the disputed South China Sea, bolstered by support from the United States and other allies. Domestically, he continued to face significant challenges, including high inflation, unfulfilled promises to lower rice prices, and growing concerns over kidnappings and other crimes.

“This is not business as usual,” Marcos said in a government statement.

“The people have spoken and they expect results, not politics, not excuses. We hear them and we will act.” (AP/NAN)

 Three children and two adults were killed in a blast on Wednesday that targeted a school bus in south-western Pakistan, with Islamabad blaming India for the attack.

Terrorists targeted the bus in the city of Khuzdar, in the restive province of Balochistan, as it took students to a military-run school, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said.

Preliminary findings suggested that it was not a suicide attack, he said at a press conference.

The dead included three young girls who were students of grades 6, 7 and 10. More than 40 students were wounded, many of them said to be suffering severe wounds.

Bugti said that his government had intelligence reports that Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was planning something in Balochistan but did not expect him to target innocent children.

“After facing a humiliating defeat on the battlefield, India has resorted to despicable and cowardly acts,” the media wing of Pakistan’s military said in a statement.

“Planners, abettors and executors of this cowardly Indian sponsored attack will be hunted down and brought to justice and heinous face of India will be exposed in front of the entire world,” the statement added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will make an emergency visit to the province where he would be briefed on the attack by terrorists, allegedly backed by India, said a statement issued by his office.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a rebel group fighting for the independence of the region from Pakistan, earlier claimed it targeted the bus, but said it was transporting the soldiers.

Islamabad claims that the BLA is backed by India.

Violence orchestrated by sub-nationalist rebels has surged in Balochistan, a region that borders both Afghanistan and Iran, and is a hub of Chinese investment and connectivity projects.

Earlier this month, India and Pakistan carried out tit-for-tat drone, missile and airstrikes targeting each other’s military installations and airbases.

The nuclear-armed rivals agreed to the ceasefire on May 10 but continue to accuse each other for terror incidents. (dpa/NAN)