Hussaini Kafi in Kano
The Nigerian Dental Therapists Association (NDTA) has raised the alarm over alleged irregularities in the ongoing recruitment process for a new Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (DThRBN), threatening a nationwide protest if the situation is not urgently addressed.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Comrade Anugwor Chinedu, and made available to journalists in Gombe, the NDTA accused certain officials of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) of colluding with vested interests to undermine due process and impose favored candidates.
The association warned that it would embark on a mass protest across the country on April 30, 2025, if the recruitment exercise, which it described as flawed, is not suspended and restarted transparently.
According to the statement, the recruitment process, which began with examinations and interviews on February 4, has been marred by secrecy, tampered evaluation results, and a scheme to install pre-selected candidates — a clear violation of federal recruitment standards.
The NDTA alleged that some ministry staff, reportedly acting on behalf of the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had used questionable administrative maneuvers to promote preferred candidates at the expense of merit, fairness, and professionalism within the dental therapy sector.
Controversy further deepened following the appointment of Mrs. Isegen Aderonke Shakeerat as acting Registrar. Despite NDTA’s earlier recommendation for an acting appointment pending a transparent process, the association alleged that there were plans to remove Shakeerat within weeks to install a candidate from the same region as the outgoing Registrar.
The association also condemned a “Re-Assessment” exam conducted on April 23, where only a select few candidates were invited. The NDTA dismissed the exercise as a ruse aimed at legitimizing a compromised process while sidelining other qualified applicants.
In a scathing critique, the NDTA decried alleged ethnic bias, warning that moves to retain control of the DThRBN within the Southwest region indefinitely were fostering division within the profession. It described such moves as the promotion of “a Yoruba government” within the regulatory board.
The association further lamented that individuals who were not formally part of the recruitment committee were influencing decisions behind the scenes, reportedly with the tacit approval of top ministry officials.
The NDTA called on the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Minister of State, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to urgently intervene by suspending the ongoing recruitment and initiating a fresh, transparent, and inclusive process.
“This is a call to rescue the FMoH from internal sabotage, restore integrity to DThRBN, and uphold President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement read.
The association emphasized that failure to address these concerns would lead to widespread protests, including demonstrations at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
