Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has issued a strong appeal for a swift resolution to the mounting crisis affecting Dental students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
His statement came following his recent visit to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he received troubling reports about challenges around the graduation and induction quotas of Dental students at UNICAL.
Though the specifics around the dispute are still emerging, Obi acknowledged that the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL has assured the public that a resolution will be pursued. He expressed appreciation for this commitment and urged for a speedy and favorable outcome.
Obi emphasized that regardless of the root cause, students must never bear the brunt of what he categorizes as a failure of leadership. He underscored the critical importance of education in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), insisting that bureaucratic or institutional lapses must not jeopardize the training and futures of young Nigerians. He stressed that students should be allowed to graduate in a timely manner without any compromise to academic standards.
Drawing on his own experience as former Governor of Anambra State, Obi recounted a similar crisis he faced when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria shut down the medical school at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. The closure was due to the institution lacking a teaching hospital—an essential accreditation requirement. Students who had devoted 3 to 4 years to medical studies were at risk of graduating with unrelated science degrees instead of their chosen medical qualifications.
Obi recounted how, upon assuming office, he advocated fiercely for the students, pleading with the Medical and Dental Council not to penalize them for institutional shortcomings. He pledged personal responsibility and committed to establishing a fully functional teaching hospital within two years—a goal initially deemed impossible by critics. Undeterred, his administration delivered on this promise in less than 18 months by building and commissioning the Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka. This achievement preserved the medical faculty’s accreditation and secured the futures of subsequent generations of medical students.
He called on the Federal Government to urgently prioritize the Dental student crisis at UNICAL by providing both financial aid and institutional support to the university leadership. According to Obi, empowering the Vice Chancellor and her team to promptly address the problem is essential to prevent innocent students from suffering consequences beyond their control.
Obi concluded by highlighting a broader national challenge: the persistent neglect of education and healthcare, alongside the failure to address poverty meaningfully, while resources are diverted to less impactful areas. He delivered a heartfelt warning that Nigerian children must not continue losing their future due to poor governance and systemic failures.
“A New Nigeria is POssible,” he affirmed.
This call to action sheds light on urgent educational issues in Nigeria and the need for visionary leadership committed to protecting and advancing the nation’s youth and their right to quality education.
