‘Leadership Failed Them’ – Peter Obi’s Powerful Message On UNICAL Students’ Crisis

Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where dental students face uncertainty over graduation and induction due to issues related to accreditation and quota.

In a statement following his recent visit to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Obi noted that he had been “inundated with reports concerning developments at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where issues around the Dental students’ graduation and induction quota have sparked serious concern.”

He acknowledged assurances by the UNICAL Vice Chancellor that the matter is being addressed, stating, “I appreciate her for this promise, and I look forward to a favourable resolution.”

However, Obi stressed that regardless of the root cause, “no student should suffer due to what I consider a failure of leadership.”

Drawing from his personal experience as a state governor, Obi recounted how he faced a similar situation at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria shut down the institution’s medical faculty due to the absence of a teaching hospital. He noted that students who had spent years studying medicine were told they would only graduate in other science-related courses.

“I had just assumed office, barely one year in, when I met the crisis, but I refused to let those innocent students become victims,” he recalled.

“I pleaded with the Council and told them that the children did not cause the issue and should not be made to suffer for it. I promised to take full responsibility and committed to building a functional teaching hospital within two years,” Obi said, adding that despite skepticism, he completed and commissioned the Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka in under 18 months.

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The former governor called on the Federal Government to treat the UNICAL situation with urgency, urging authorities to support the university administration in resolving the crisis.

“The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar and her team must be empowered to resolve this issue immediately, to ensure that no student is made to suffer for circumstances that are in no way their fault,” he said.

Obi warned against continued neglect of key sectors, saying, “At this critical time in our nation, we cannot afford to continue the downward trend of neglecting education and healthcare, or of failing to lift people out of poverty, while wasting resources on areas that bring no tangible value.”

He concluded with a strong message to national stakeholders: “Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria.”