Law firm, UBTH on warpath over non-accredited course

…As HND graduates lament wasted years, demand N100 million compensation each

From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

Midlex Legal Firm, Benin, has expressed its willingness to initiate proceedings in court against the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for failing to secure accreditation for the Higher National Diploma (HND) run by the Department of Paramedic Technology under the Institute of Health Sciences and Technology of the health institution.

Addressing journalists in Benin during a press conference/protest, the senior partner of the legal firm, Enyawuile Abednego, lambasted UBTH for allowing students to put in five years of their life into a programme it knew had not been accredited by the relevant agency of the Federal Government, thereby making it impossible for them to be mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

He said UBTH had done great disservice to the students, stressing that the institution should pay each student N100 million as compensation for their wasted years.

Abednego gave UBTH seven days ultimatum to begin work on the accreditation process of the HND programme or be prepared to face a legal fireworks.

His words: “We are written to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and we have told them if within seven days they do not establish a template to get a retroactive accreditation of that course, we go to any length and every extent within our powers to ensure that this injustice is addressed. And I’ve told them, it’s only to get the accreditation. Moreover, each of these students who have graduated will be given N100 million each for the injustice done to them.”

One of former students of the institution, Favour Owhe, lamented that she is stranded and doesn’t know what to do. Having been trained by her parents, they expected her to also assist them but now, she can’t even get a job with her certificate because the course is not accredited.

With teary eyes and emotion-laden voice, she told Sunday Sun: I’m standing here today not as a paramedic, but I’m standing here to bring up my cry to tell the University of Benin Teaching Hospital Management to accredit the department. How can we graduate from a school for five years and we cannot have a license? We cannot go for NYSC. It is as if we wasted our five years of study. I paid school fees for five years, I wrote exams. I went to the hospital. I did my internship. I got clinical skills, but I cannot make use of the knowledge and skill because there’s no accreditation for this course.

“My parents are expecting more from me as a graduate to work. I cannot even apply for a job because I don’t have the NYSC discharge certificate, just because UBTH management to secure accreditation for our course. Please, UBTH management, it’s our right to have a course that is accredited.”

Reacting, the UBTH Public Relations Officer, Mr. Iyen Osaretin, said the protesting students were not known to the institution noting that if they were, they should have come to the institution.

“They are not our students. If they were, they should have come to the hospital to make their complaint known to the management of the institution,” Osaretin said.