UNICAL, UNIUYO lecturers reject VC selection criteria

Clinical lecturers under the umbrella of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) at the University of Calabar have embarked on an indefinite strike, protesting what they describe as deliberate exclusion from the ongoing process to appoint a new vice chancellor of the university. 

The action, led by MDCAN, University of Calabar and UCTH chapter, followed the University Governing Council’s failure to revise a recent job advert that allegedly discriminates against clinical lecturers.

The protest stems from a vacancy notice published in a national newspaper (not Daily Trust) on May 27, 2025, which stipulates that candidates for the position of Vice Chancellor “must hold a PhD.”

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The MDCAN leadership contends that this clause effectively disqualifies its member— many of whom hold the Medical Fellowship qualification, a globally recognized terminal degree for clinical academic staff.

In an earlier petition to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, MDCAN had expressed “utmost dismay” at the advert, calling the PhD-only requirement a “premeditated and intentional disenfranchisement” of qualified medical and dental specialists.

The group noted that the exclusion violates guidelines issued by the Federal Ministry of Education, which recommend inclusive criteria for vice chancellor recruitment across federal universities.

MDCAN further referenced similar cases, particularly at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where a similar exclusionary process reportedly led to major unrest and required presidential intervention.

They noted that other prominent federal institutions, including Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Benin, have issued more inclusive VC appointment adverts in line with best practices.

According to MDCAN, despite a formal engagement with the pro-chancellor on June 3 and memos dated June 2 and June 9, the university’s Governing Council has yet to respond or amend the publication. Hence, in a communiqué released after an emergency meeting held on June 13, MDCAN declared a total and indefinite withdrawal of services by all clinical lecturers.

In a statement signed by the association’s Chairman, Dr. Patience Odusolu, Secretary, Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the lecturers demanded immediate withdrawal of the current advert, re-publication of an inclusive advert that recognizes both PhD and Fellowship qualifications, extension of the application deadline to compensate for the lost period and ensure all eligible candidates are given equal opportunity, suspension of the ongoing selection process until the advert is revised.

The strike action is expected to disrupt academic activities within the College of Medical Sciences and health services at the university’s teaching hospital, where many clinical lecturers serve dual roles as medical educators and consultants.

In a related development, tension is mounting at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) as medical consultants and clinical lecturers under MDCAN, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) chapter, have expressed outrage over “deliberate exclusion” from the ongoing selection process for the office of Vice Chancellor.

In a petition addressed to the newly appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, the association condemned the criteria outlined in a vacancy advert published on May 29, 2025, which they claimed was designed to disenfranchise medical academics and favour a narrow group within the university.

According to the letter signed by the chairman of MDCAN University of Uyo, Dr. Ibiok Uendiah and the secretay, Dr. Solomon Bassey, the requirement that applicants must hold a PhD is not only discriminatory but fails to recognize the long-established and government-approved qualification pathway for clinical lecturers—the Medical Fellowship.

Complicating the matter at UNIUYO is a leadership vacuum and abrupt transition in the university’s Governing Council.

MDCAN revealed that Major General Ike Nwachukwu (Rtd.), previously deployed as Pro-Chancellor to UNIUYO, declined the appointment for undisclosed reasons. In his absence, Prof. Hauwa Biu reportedly acted as Chairperson of the Governing Council during the last week of May and oversaw the issuance of the now-disputed advert.

MDCAN argued that medical academics, by virtue of their professional trajectory, do not typically hold PhDs but rather obtain postgraduate medical fellowships through rigorous training lasting an additional 6–7 years after medical school. These fellowships are globally recognized terminal qualifications for teaching and research in clinical sciences.

They also criticized the requirement for 10 recent journal publications within two years, describing it as impractical given the ethical constraints and extensive approval processes involved in clinical research involving human subjects.

“This requirement seems nearly impossible, unless students’ term papers are to be considered professorial research,” the group noted.

Additionally, the petition challenged the 20-year uninterrupted teaching requirement, arguing that such a clause unfairly penalised academics who have taken federally-approved sabbaticals, study leave, or secondments to gain broader academic exposure. The association emphasized that no such stipulation exists in federal guidelines or the university’s enabling law.

The association warned that unless the discriminatory advert is withdrawn and a revised, inclusive version published, they might be forced to resume their previously suspended strike.

“We cannot guarantee industrial harmony if these policies are not reversed,” they said, adding that their industrial action was suspended in good faith to allow management address long-standing concerns.

The medical lecturers’ demands include immediate withdrawal of the current advert,

re-issuance of an inclusive call for applications that recognizes Fellowship qualifications alongside PhDs, removal of unrealistic publication and continuous teaching clauses and assurance that all qualified professors—including clinical academics—can compete fairly for the Vice Chancellor position.

The group gave the Governing Council a two-week window ending July 1, 2025, to take corrective action, warning that failure to address the matter could trigger a full-scale disruption of academic and health services.