From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Dentistry Students of University of Calabar (UNICAL) on Saturday staged a peaceful protest at the South-South Zonal Constitutional Review hearing in Calabar demanding resolution to their prolonged uncertainty over professional induction.
The students, dressed in their white laboratory coats, carried placards with urgent pleas, including “Induct Our Doctors,” “Save Dentistry in UNICAL,” and “No Transfer, Increase Quota.”
The University exceeded its admission quota for the Dentistry program, leading the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to withhold induction for affected students.
While MDCN approved 10 students per admission session to the institution based on its existing facilities, UNICAL over the years exceeded this quota.
As a result, the University produced students that far exceeded the approved quota and this has led to a crisis over the induction of the excess students by the medical council.
The affected students are worried about their future, with some unable to begin professional practice without induction. “We just want to graduate as dentists,” one student said. “Transferring us or changing our courses is not an option.”
The protesting students were however prevented from accessing the venue of the hearing to register their protest with the House of Representatives committee.
The UNICAL Alumni Association has launched advocacy efforts to rescue the program, including sending a Save Our School (SOS) letter and paying advocacy visits to key officials.
The association’s national president, Paul Eshiemomoh, and general secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Akpan John, expressed optimism that the Federal Government would approve funding for the university’s medical school, which would help resolve the crisis.
Also, Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party has called on the federal government to prioritize the resolution of the crisis.
He drew parallels with his time as Anambra State governor and how he resolved a similar crisis and maintained that Nigerian students should not be made to suffer for a leadership failure.
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