Students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have staged a protest in front of the Vice Chancellor’s office, over the potential transfer to another school owed to accreditation issues
Videos shared show the students—mostly in 500-level—pleading with the university authorities not to transfer them to other schools, following revelations that UNICAL admitted more students into the dentistry programme than approved by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The protesting students urged the Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Banku Obi, and the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences, Professor Ngim E., to merge them with the Department of Medicine and Surgery instead of sending them away.
Many of the affected students have reportedly spent up to seven years in the university, paid full tuition, and now face the risk of expulsion due to the school’s quota violation.
In a meeting with the students, Prof. Obi admitted that the school had exceeded its quota but claimed it was a common practice in Nigerian universities, expecting that some students would eventually fail and balance the numbers.
A protesting student said:
“We have a lot of issues. We’re just clamouring that our needs be met. Our demands are not much and they’re not impossible to be met.”
The Nigerian Association of Dental Students (NADS) has condemned the situation in strong terms, demanding that UNICAL immediately suspend any plans to send students home. NADS called for a transparent roadmap to resolve the accreditation crisis.
Meanwhile, in a press briefing, Prof. Obi denied telling the students to transfer or take up a different trade, claiming the crisis predated her tenure. She added that some students may be transferred to accredited institutions, while others would have to wait until UNICAL is re-verified.
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