Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar have suspended their indefinite strike and resumed duties, following the resolution of a contentious dispute surrounding the university’s Vice Chancellor selection process.
The lecturers, operating under the umbrella of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), had embarked on the industrial action on June 13 to protest what they described as exclusionary and discriminatory requirements in the advertised VC position, which favoured PhD holders over candidates with medical fellowships.
In a memo jointly signed by Dr. Patience Odusolu, Chairperson of MDCAN’s UNICAL Chapter, and Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the group demanded a retraction and reissuance of the job advert, arguing that it failed to recognise the academic equivalence of fellowship qualifications earned through postgraduate medical training.
Confirming the development, MDCAN National President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, said the strike was called off after the intervention of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who acknowledged the unique academic pathway of clinical medicine.
“In clinical medicine, we don’t follow the conventional Master’s or PhD academic route,” Prof. Muhammad explained. “Our training is through an intensive residency programme spanning six to eight years, culminating in a fellowship qualification. This is both academically rigorous and clinically demanding.”
He further noted that fellowship credentials are not only recognised for the appointment of hospital consultants but also for academic roles in universities—highlighting that many past Vice Chancellors have held such qualifications and performed effectively.
“In Calabar, however,” he added, “the university initially insisted that only PhD holders were eligible for the VC role, contrary to Federal Ministry of Education guidelines for leadership positions in tertiary institutions. That was the crux of the conflict.”
The dispute was resolved after deliberations with the ministry led to an addendum in the job advertisement. The updated call for applications now acknowledges both PhD and medical fellowship qualifications as valid criteria for the Vice Chancellor position.
Prof. Muhammad confirmed that following this adjustment, MDCAN members at UNICAL resumed academic work last week.
