UNICAL clinical lecturers suspend duties over exclusion in VC selection

Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar have begun an indefinite suspension of their duties, citing what they call intentional exclusion from the ongoing process to select the university’s new vice chancellor.

This action was communicated in a letter dated June 13, 2025, addressed to the vice chancellor and issued by the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital branch of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN).

The association claimed that its members were wrongfully excluded after an advertisement published in a national daily on May 27, 2025, allegedly disqualified clinical lecturers from applying for the vice chancellor position.

As detailed in the letter signed by MDCAN Chairman Dr. Patience Odusolu and Secretary Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the group had earlier presented petitions to the university’s Governing Council on June 2 and June 9, asking that the advert be withdrawn and replaced with one that includes all eligible candidates. They stated that the council has yet to respond.

“The continued silence and inaction by the Governing Council is a breach of our fundamental rights to aspire for the position of Vice Chancellor,” the lecturers stated, further explaining that three weeks had passed since the advert’s release, significantly limiting the time left for applications and thereby denying them fair access.

In response, the clinical lecturers announced a complete and indefinite withdrawal from all teaching duties until the current advertisement is withdrawn, a new inclusive one is issued, and the application deadline is extended to allow all qualified applicants to participate.

They further called for the immediate halting of the current selection process.

The protest letter was also copied to key stakeholders in the education sector, including the Minister of Education, education committees of the National Assembly, the Pro-Chancellor, the University Registrar, and medical associations like the Nigerian Medical Association and MDCAN’s national body.

Meanwhile, at the University of Uyo, MDCAN submitted a strongly worded complaint to the Governing Council over a similar advertisement released on May 29, which also requires that candidates possess a PhD.

In their correspondence signed by Dr. Ibiok Usendiah (Chairman) and Dr. Solomon Bassey (Secretary), the group condemned the condition, calling it deliberately exclusionary and unworkable.

They issued a two-week deadline to the Governing Council, ending on July 1, 2025, demanding action or the resumption of their previously paused strike.

The protesting lecturers emphasized that postgraduate medical fellowships, completed after an additional 6 to 7 years of specialist education, are recognized as the legitimate academic qualification for clinical lecturers by both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Federal Ministry of Education.

The group also objected to requirements in the advert that applicants must have a minimum of ten published journal articles within two years and 20 years of unbroken teaching experience, labeling these standards as unrealistic and “punitive, especially for academics who have taken sabbaticals, study leave, or secondments.”

The situation at UNIUYO has been made more difficult by a leadership gap. MDCAN stated that the appointed Pro-Chancellor, Major General Ike Nwachukwu (Rtd.), declined the responsibility to oversee the selection, and in his place, Prof. Hauwa Biu served as Acting Chairperson and supervised the release of the contested advertisement.

The MDCAN chapter warned that unless the advert is withdrawn and modified to accept both PhD holders and Fellowship holders, they might be compelled to restart the strike they had earlier called off.

The group pointed out what appears to be a recurring national trend of excluding clinical lecturers, referring to similar events at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where a comparable selection process allegedly led to conflict that required intervention from the presidency.

They also cited Federal institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Benin as examples where more inclusive selection practices have been followed.

“Agitations against discrimination of Medical Doctors in the conventional universities has led to the recent creation of Universities of Health Sciences in the country with Medical Doctors as Vice Chancellors while Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has been created to cater for the needs of Medical Doctors still teaching in conventional universities as ASUU appeared not to be protecting our interests.

“Agitations for the carving out of Colleges of Health Sciences from conventional universities to form autonomous Universities of Health Sciences with their own Vice Chancellors may begin to gather steam in view of all these discriminatory policies by the Governing Councils against Medical Doctors.

“We wish to use this medium and appeal to you to use your good offices and address these discriminatory policies that were churned out by the Governing Council before your appointment so as to accommodate all sectors of the academia within the next two weeks before the expiration of the six-week advertisement period.

“Our Association will convene on the 1st of July 2025 to review developments and take appropriate actions.

“We cannot guarantee industrial harmony in the university if these discriminatory policies are not reversed, bearing in mind that our strike action that was suspended by the Nigerian Medical Association to allow the university management to address some pressing issues is still active,” the letter reads in part.