NDTA Decries Marginalisation, Demands Halt of Dental Board Recruitment Process
By Laraba Usman
The Nigerian Dental Therapists’ Association (NDTA) has expressed deep concern over what it describes as ongoing marginalisation and manipulation in the recruitment process for the position of Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (DThRBN).
In a press release signed by the association’s National Secretary, Mr Anugwor Chinedu, and made available to journalists in Gombe on Sunday, the NDTA accused the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) of intentionally delaying the appointment of a new Registrar, following the retirement of Mrs M. O. Ojo on 28 February 2025.
The association condemned the continued closure of the Registrar’s office, which it said has paralysed essential regulatory activities, including the registration of new members and issuance of practice licences. This development, according to the statement, has left many young dental therapists in limbo, unable to proceed with their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) deployment or access job and promotion opportunities due to lack of professional accreditation.
NDTA insisted that the delay is a deliberate move designed to install a favoured candidate allegedly linked to the former Registrar. It also criticised what it described as a long-standing pattern of regional bias in appointments to the board’s leadership, noting that for over 30 years, all registrars have come from the same geopolitical zone.
The association warned that continuing this trend in the current recruitment exercise could provoke disunity and dissatisfaction among dental therapy professionals from other regions of the country.
It also questioned the credibility of the recruitment process, alleging that the eligibility criteria were skewed to favour certain individuals—specifically Mr Ojo Richard, purported to be a relative of the former Registrar, and Dr Dele Anisere, identified as a close associate. NDTA labelled the process as unjust and contrary to the federal character principle, calling for its immediate cancellation.
The association urged the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of State for Health, Dr Ishaq Salako, to take urgent action by appointing the most senior Dental Therapist as Acting Registrar and launching a new, transparent recruitment process that ensures fair representation from all geopolitical zones.
