Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the graduation and induction quotas of Dental students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), urging swift and decisive action from both the institution’s leadership and the Federal Government to resolve the matter.
Obi’s statement comes in the wake of his recent visit to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he was inundated with reports regarding the troubling situation unfolding at UNICAL. He expressed grave concern over the implications of the crisis on the affected students, describing it as an unacceptable outcome of failed leadership.
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“Following my visit yesterday to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), I was inundated with reports concerning developments at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where issues around the Dental students’ graduation and induction quota have sparked serious concern,” Obi said.
While acknowledging that the full details of the situation are still emerging, Obi noted with optimism that the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL had made public assurances to address the crisis. “I appreciate her for this promise, and I look forward to a favourable resolution,” he added.
Emphasizing the broader issue, Obi condemned the practice of penalizing students for institutional or bureaucratic shortcomings, particularly in vital disciplines like science and medicine.
“Whatever the root cause, one thing is clear: no student should suffer due to what I consider a failure of leadership. We must give our youth the necessary education, particularly in critical fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Education in these areas is far too important to be jeopardised by bureaucratic or institutional lapses,” he stated.
Drawing from personal experience, Obi recounted a similar crisis he faced as Governor of Anambra State when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria shut down the medical school at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University due to the lack of a teaching hospital. Students were threatened with being unable to complete their medical degrees.
“Students who had already spent 3 to 4 years studying medicine were told they could only graduate as biologists or in other science courses,” he recalled. “I pleaded with the Council and told them that the children did not cause the issue and should not be made to suffer for it. I promised to take full responsibility and committed to building a functional teaching hospital within two years.”
Despite skepticism from the Council, Obi delivered on his promise in record time. “In less than 18 months, I fulfilled that promise. I built and commissioned what is now known as Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka, saving not just the accreditation of the medical faculty but the futures of young aspiring doctors to this day,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to play its part by providing both financial assistance and institutional backing to the University of Calabar, ensuring the students’ academic progress is not derailed.
“The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar and her team must be empowered to resolve this issue immediately, to ensure that no student is made to suffer for circumstances that are in no way their fault,” Obi said.
Closing his remarks, Obi warned against the ongoing neglect of critical sectors such as education and healthcare, asserting that this trend poses a serious threat to national development.
“At this critical time in our nation, we cannot afford to continue the downward trend of neglecting education and healthcare, or of failing to lift people out of poverty, while wasting resources on areas that bring no tangible value. Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria.”
The former governor’s impassioned statement has further amplified calls for systemic reforms in Nigeria’s education and healthcare sectors, with many Nigerians echoing his call for immediate action.
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