UNICAL Clinical Lecturers Call Off Strike Over VC Selection Dispute

Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), under the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), have last week officially suspended their indefinite strike and resumed academic and clinical duties following a resolution of their dispute over the Vice Chancellor (VC) selection process.

The lecturers began their industrial action on June 13, 2025, protesting their exclusion from the ongoing VC recruitment due to a job advertisement that required candidates to hold a PhD degree. The clinical faculty argued that the advert discriminated against them because clinical lecturers typically hold medical fellowships obtained through residency training rather than traditional academic PhDs. This fellowship is a recognized terminal qualification in clinical medicine, endorsed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Federal Ministry of Education.

In a memo dated June 13 and signed by MDCAN’s UNICAL Chapter Chairman, Dr. Patience Odusolu, and Secretary, Dr. Ehiosun Aigbomian, the association demanded the withdrawal and reissuance of the job advert with more inclusive criteria that would allow fellowship holders to apply. They warned that until their demands were met, they would maintain a total withdrawal of services, which included clinical teaching and hospital duties at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

The dispute drew the attention of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, whose intervention led to the withdrawal of the original advert and the issuance of a revised, inclusive one. MDCAN’s National President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, explained the difference in training pathways, emphasizing that clinical medicine training involves a rigorous residency and fellowship program lasting six to eight years, which is equivalent in academic standing to a PhD.

Following the resolution, the clinical lecturers have resumed their duties, ending the strike that had threatened to disrupt both academic activities and healthcare delivery at UNICAL and its teaching hospital. The lecturers expressed hope that future recruitment processes would recognize the unique qualifications of clinical academics and ensure inclusiveness.

Source: The Guardian Nigeria