Peter Obi calls on Tinubu’s administration to resolve UNICAL dental students’ crisis

Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and a prominent figure in the Labour Party, has urged the federal government to offer both financial and institutional backing to the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to address the ongoing challenges affecting the graduation of its dental students.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mr Obi expressed concern over “developments at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where issues around the dental students’ graduation and induction quota.”

“No student should suffer for leadership failures,” Mr Obi stated. “I call on the federal government to give this situation the urgent and decisive attention it deserves by providing both financial and institutional support to the university leadership.”

He continued by saying, “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.”

The former governor reflected on how he swiftly addressed a similar situation “when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria shut down our medical school at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, citing the absence of a teaching hospital—a basic requirement for accreditation.”

Mr Obi mentioned that within a span of less than 18 months, he “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.”

His remarks follow reports concerning the Department of Dentistry at UNICAL admitting more students than permitted, contrary to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) guidelines, which may affect the ability of some students to graduate.

The university reportedly enrolled 60 students, exceeding the MDCN-approved admission quota of 10 students.

Earlier this week, UNICAL’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, during a press conference, pledged to address the matter, although she clarified that the issue began before she assumed office.