Dental Therapists Threaten Nationwide Protest over Alleged Bias in Board Appointment
By Laraba Usman
The Nigerian Dental Therapists Association (NDTA) has raised serious concerns over alleged manipulation in the ongoing recruitment of a new Registrar/CEO for the Dental Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (DThRBN) threaten nationwide protest.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Comrade Anugwor Chinedu and made available to news men in Gombe, the NDTA accused some Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) officials of working with vested interests to bypass due process and impose handpicked candidates.
The association warned that it would stage a nationwide protest on April 30, 2025, if the situation is not urgently addressed.
The statement stated that, the recruitment exercise, which commenced with examinations and interviews on February 4, has reportedly been marked by secrecy, tampered evaluations, and plans to install pre-selected candidates—violating federal recruitment standards.
NDTA claimed that certain ministry staff, allegedly acting on behalf of the Minister of State for Health, used questionable administrative tactics to promote their candidates. The association described the actions as detrimental to fairness, transparency, and professionalism in the dental therapy sector.
Despite NDTA’s earlier recommendation for an acting Registrar, the appointment of Mrs. Isegen Aderonke Shakeerat has stirred controversy, with the Association alleging plans to oust her within weeks to make way for a candidate from the same region as the former Registrar.
On April 23, a select few candidates were reportedly invited for a suspicious “Re-Assessment” exam, which NDTA dismissed as a ploy to legitimize the flawed process. It criticized the exclusion of other qualified applicants and questioned the basis for the reassessment.
The Association also decried ethnic bias, alleging that some actors vowed to keep control of the DThRBN within the Southwest region indefinitely—calling it “a Yoruba government.” Such sentiments, the NDTA warned, could breed division and disunity in the profession.
Additionally, the NDTA expressed concern that individuals not formally involved in the recruitment process were influencing decisions, apparently with the knowledge of FMoH officials.
The Association urged the Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of State, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to intervene, suspend the recruitment process, and start afresh with a transparent and inclusive approach.
Failure to act, it warned, would trigger mass protests nationwide, including at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
“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 added.
