The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has called for urgent intervention in the crisis affecting dental students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), stressing that no student should suffer as a result of leadership failings.
Obi stated this on Saturday in an X post, following reports of issues surrounding the graduation and induction quotas of dental students at UNICAL.
“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,” Obi wrote.
The 64-year-old politician acknowledged recent assurances by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, to resolve the situation and appreciated her commitment, expressing hope for a favourable resolution.
“While the specifics of the matter are still unfolding, I understand that the Vice Chancellor has recently assured the public that steps will be taken to resolve the crisis. I appreciate her for this promise, and I look forward to a favourable resolution,” he noted.
Drawing from personal experience during his tenure as Governor of Anambra State, Obi recalled how he confronted a similar accreditation crisis at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
“Students who had already spent 3 to 4 years studying medicine were told they could only graduate as biologists or in other science courses.
“I had just assumed office, barely one year in, when I met the crisis, but I refused to let those innocent students become victims,” he recounted.
Obi said he took full responsibility and assured the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria that a functional teaching hospital would be built within two years — a task they believed impossible.
“They told me it was impossible to build such a facility in two years. But I insisted, because leaders must be solution-driven, especially when the lives and futures of our young people are at stake.
“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.
Calling for swift federal government action, the LP 2023 flagbearer urged financial and institutional support for the university’s management to ensure that no student is penalised for issues beyond their control.
“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,” he said.
The ex-Anambra governor warned against the continued neglect of critical sectors such as education and healthcare.
“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,” Obi said.
On Wednesday, the UNICAL VC appealed for calm during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, assuring that efforts were underway to resolve the lingering crisis.
“I want to appeal to the students and parents… to be calm that, on my honour, we will see how, together, with MDCN, we can resolve the problem. I take responsibility, even for the ones I inherited,” she said.
Professor Obi disclosed that overadmission—accepting 60 students instead of the MDCN-approved 10—was at the core of the issue and promised that those responsible would face consequences.
She further stated that she would meet with the Minister of Education to seek intervention, with the hope that the matter would be resolved within the next two months.
