Gladness Gideon
Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the ongoing crisis affecting dental students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), warning that no student should be made to suffer due to leadership failures.
Obi’s statement follows reports of delays in the graduation and induction of dental students at UNICAL, reportedly linked to accreditation and quota issues. Although the details are still unfolding, the Vice Chancellor of the university has assured the public that measures are being taken to resolve the crisis.
While commending the Vice Chancellor’s commitment, Obi emphasised the need for swift and practical action. “Whatever the root cause, one thing is clear: no student should suffer due to what I consider a failure of leadership,” he said.
The former governor stressed the importance of education—particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—to national development, insisting that bureaucratic lapses should never jeopardise students’ futures. “Students must remain in school and graduate appropriately without compromising standards,” he added.
Drawing from personal experience, Obi recalled a similar crisis during his tenure as Governor of Anambra State when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria withdrew accreditation from the state’s medical school at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University due to the absence of a teaching hospital. At the time, students who had spent up to four years studying medicine were at risk of graduating with unrelated science degrees.
Determined to protect the students’ future, Obi said he personally pleaded with the Council and pledged to build a teaching hospital within two years—a timeline many deemed unrealistic. However, he delivered on the promise in under 18 months, completing the now-operational Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka.
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“Leaders must be solution-driven, especially when the lives and futures of our young people are at stake,” Obi asserted.
He urged the Federal Government to support UNICAL both financially and institutionally, empowering the leadership to address the current challenges and prevent further disruption to students’ academic journeys.
“At this critical time in our nation, we cannot afford to continue the downward trend of neglecting education and healthcare,” he said. “Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria.”
Obi concluded by reaffirming his belief in a better Nigeria, saying, “A New Nigeria is POssible.”