Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar have commenced an indefinite withdrawal of their services over what they described as their deliberate exclusion from the ongoing selection process for the institution’s next Vice Chancellor.
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The decision that was conveyed in a letter dated 13th June 2025 and addressed to the Vice Chancellor was issued under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), University of Calabar Teaching Hospital chapter.
The group said its members have been unjustly disenfranchised following the publication of an advertorial in a national newspaper on May 27, 2025, which it claims effectively bars clinical lecturers from applying for the top job.
According to the letter, signed by MDCAN Chairman Dr. Patience Odusolu and Secretary Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the group had earlier submitted memos to the University’s Governing Council on June 2 and June 9, demanding a retraction of the advertorial and the issuance of an inclusive notice. However, they said the Council failed to respond.
“The continued silence and inaction by the Governing Council is a breach of our fundamental rights to aspire for the position of Vice Chancellor,” the lecturers stated, adding that three weeks had already passed since the advert was released, effectively reducing the application window and denying them equal opportunity.
In protest, the clinical lecturers declared that total and indefinite withdrawal of their academic services has commenced, pending the withdrawal of the original advert, publication of a new inclusive one, and extension of the application deadline to accommodate all qualified candidates.
They also demanded the immediate suspension of the ongoing selection process.
The protest letter has been copied to key education authorities including the Minister of Education, the National Assembly’s Education Committees, the Pro-Chancellor, the Registrar of the University, and professional medical bodies such as the Nigerian Medical Association and MDCAN national leadership.
Similarly, at the University of Uyo, the MDCAN has issued a strongly worded petition to the Governing Council, protesting a similar advert published on May 29, which also mandates a PhD for applicants.
In their letter, signed by Dr. Ibiok Usendiah (Chairman) and Dr. Solomon Bassey (Secretary), the association condemned the criteria as deliberately exclusionary and impractical.
The union gave the Governing Council a two-week ultimatum ending July 1, 2025, to act or face the resumption of its suspended industrial action.
They aggrieved clinical lecturers noted that postgraduate medical fellowships, achieved after an additional six to seven years of specialised training serve as the standard academic qualification for clinical lecturers and are endorsed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Federal Ministry of Education.
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