The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the crisis affecting dental students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
In a statement on Saturday in X post, Obi called for urgent intervention to resolve the issue, emphasizing that no student should suffer due to leadership failures.
“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.
According to reports, the crisis at UNICAL revolves around issues with the graduation and induction quotas of dental students.
Obi stressed the importance of education, particularly in critical fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and warned against bureaucratic or institutional lapses that could jeopardize the future of young people.
Drawing from his personal experience as Governor of Anambra State, Obi recounted how he confronted a similar accreditation crisis at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
He recalled how students who had spent several years studying medicine were told they could only graduate with degrees in biology or other science courses.
However, Obi took full responsibility and assured the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria that a functional teaching hospital would be built within two years.
Obi called on the federal government to take swift action to support the university’s management and ensure that no student is penalized for issues beyond their control.
He emphasised the need for financial and institutional support to resolve the crisis immediately.
“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.
The Vice Chancellor of UNICAL, Professor Florence Obi, had earlier appealed for calm and assured that efforts were underway to resolve the crisis.
She disclosed that over admission was at the core of the issue and promised that those responsible would face consequences.
She also 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.
