UNICAL VC Breaks Silence on Dentistry Accreditation Crisis

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Florence Obi, has appealed for calm and understanding as the institution works to address issues surrounding the induction of its dentistry graduates, following concerns raised by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria regarding excess student admissions.

While speaking at a press briefing held on Monday in the University Council Chamber, Professor Obi responded to increasing concern over the delayed induction of 31 dentistry graduates and sought to clarify misinformation spreading on social media.

The unfolding matter, which has led to anxiety among students and their parents, is rooted in what the Vice Chancellor referred to as a “historical over-subscription” of the dentistry programme—an issue she said began before her tenure.

“In line with the quota of 10 students per session granted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) since 2016, the university unfortunately did not adhere to the admission limits. That is what we are now trying to rectify,” she said.

Professor Obi pointed out that although the university obtained full accreditation for clinical dentistry in 2020, valid through to 2027, its repeated violation of the enrolment cap caused the MDCN to deny induction to the 31 students who completed their final exams. The affected graduating set comprised 60 students in total.

“We appreciate the MDCN for their cooperation over the years, having inducted three previous sets of our students despite the challenges.

“But this current graduating class far exceeded the council’s approved number. That’s where we ran into a roadblock,” she noted.

The Vice Chancellor explained that the university leadership had recently held meetings in Abuja with senior officials of the MDCN in an effort to find a solution. During those meetings, the council recommended a two-part solution: transferring current 4th to 6th year students to other accredited universities and halting all further inductions until UNICAL meets facility and staffing requirements.

Professor Obi was quick to clarify that the issue is not about accreditation status but rather about adherence to quotas and meeting infrastructural benchmarks.

“The University of Calabar is running an accredited programme. We are not operating illegally. However, staffing remains a critical bottleneck that has prevented us from inviting the MDCN for a reassessment of our facilities, which could have led to an increase in our quota,” Professor Obi said.

She emphasised that the university’s inability to recruit new academic personnel was tied to restrictions under the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which has limited the hiring freedom of federal institutions.

She added that since taking office, her administration has made numerous requests to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Head of Service for waivers to recruit staff.

“We have been granted approval to hire 218 academic staff, and we are awaiting final clearance from the Budget Office. Once received, we will immediately begin recruitment,” she announced.

Professor Obi also mentioned that the university has received a special presidential funding support of ₦4.75 billion, specifically earmarked for improving its dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and medicine and surgery programmes. The funding is aimed at upgrading university facilities and helping it meet MDCN standards.

“We’ve already submitted our requirements to the ministerial implementation committee. Included in that is a request for 16 additional dental chairs, which would bring our total to 40, a key milestone in expanding our capacity,” she said.

She also made an appeal to the affected students and their families, stating, “We know this is painful, especially for students who have worked hard and are now caught in the middle. Some are getting depressed, and we understand that. But we are not folding our arms. We are exploring every avenue to resolve this issue swiftly.”

She gave assurance that any student transfers to other institutions would be handled fairly and transparently and stressed that the university is dedicated to inviting the MDCN for a reassessment as soon as the necessary upgrades are implemented.