Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar, under the aegis of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, have called off their indefinite strike.
The lecturers embarked on the industrial action on June 13, 2025, to protest what they described as their deliberate exclusion from the ongoing selection process for the position of Vice Chancellor.
According to them, the university’s governing council refused to amend a job advertisement they said discriminated against members of the clinical faculty.
In a memo dated June 13 and signed by MDCAN’s University of Calabar Chapter Chairman, Dr. Patience Odusolu, and Secretary, Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the association demanded the withdrawal and reissuance of the advert with more inclusive criteria.
They stated that until this was done, clinical lecturers would continue the total withdrawal of services.
However, MDCAN’s National President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad confirmed on Monday that the matter has now been resolved following the intervention of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
Explaining the distinction in training pathways between clinical and non-clinical academics in medicine, he said, “In clinical medicine, we don’t follow the conventional Master’s/PhD route.
Our training is through a residency programme, which is both academic and clinical, lasting six to eight years and culminating in the award of a fellowship.
“It is this fellowship that qualifies one to be appointed as a consultant in hospitals and as a lecturer in universities. From Lecturer I, one progresses through the academic ranks up to professor, based on established criteria.”
He emphasised that several former vice chancellors with fellowship qualifications have served with distinction.
In Calabar, despite the Federal Ministry of Education’s guidelines on the appointment of Vice Chancellors, Provosts, and Rectors, the university insisted that only those with PhDs could apply.
That was the core of our disagreement. We thank the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, for intervening directly with the university to resolve the dispute.
“The matter has been sorted. The university has issued an addendum to the initial advert, now stating that individuals with either a PhD or a medical fellowship are eligible to apply for the Vice Chancellor position.
“Following this resolution, MDCAN members at the University of Calabar resumed their duties last week,” he said.
