The medical school of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Nnewi remains closed as clinical lecturers continue to strike over the exclusion of their members from the contest for the institution’s next Vice-Chancellor (VC).
The strike, spearheaded by members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), has had a significant impact on the academic calendar, notably for final-year medical students, some of whom have spent eight years earning their degrees.
The academics’ main complaint is that the latest advertisement for the VC job demands candidates to have a PhD, thereby eliminating clinical lecturers. The striking doctors claim that their fellowships in several branches of medicine are equivalent to a PhD, and many of them have been professors for decades.
On August 2, 2024, the lecturers wrote to Prof. Carol Arinze-Umeobi, the Acting Vice Chancellor, to protest their members’ exclusion from the VC selection process. Despite their objections, the university’s governing body has neglected to address them, resulting in the ongoing strike, which entered its 12th day on Monday.
Speaking to the media, MDCAN Secretary Dr. Sunday Oriji announced that the medical college will remain closed until university management handles the matter.
He said, “The acting Vice Chancellor is a seasoned lawyer, and we trust she will do what is right. We formally notified them of our intentions before embarking on the strike. Our congress observed that the advert for the VC position requires a first degree, Master’s degree, and PhD, but the academic pathway for clinical lecturers, both in UNIZIK and globally, does not align with this.”
Oriji further explained that the exclusion of clinical lecturers from the faculties of Medicine and Basic Clinical Sciences is a departure from previous advertisements for the VC role. He emphasized that their withdrawal of services would continue until the university takes appropriate action.
“The advert deliberately excludes all of our members, and we will maintain the strike until the university’s management addresses this injustice,” Oriji added.