UNIZIK Medical school is still shut as lecturers protest alleged exclusion in VC race

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By Madu Obi

THE medical school of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi is still shut as the lecturers insist on not returning to lecture halls unless their members are included in the race for the appointment of the next Vice Chancellor of the institution.

The strike by the clinical lecturers, who are members of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), is seriously threatening the graduation of the final year students, some who said they have spent eight years studying medicine.

Their grouse is that an advertisement to fill the vacant VC position shut out their members because of the requirement that prospective candidates must possess a PhD. According to the doctors, their Fellowships in various branches of medicine are equivalent to PhD, adding that many of them have been professors for decades.

The striking lecturers had, on August 2nd, 2024, written to the Ag. Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Carol Arinze-Umeobi to protest the advertisement for the position of Vice Chancellor, which they alleged excluded their members from vying.

Following the failure of the governing council of the university to act on their complaint, the medical professors and consultants withdrew their services, which entered the 12th day on Monday.

Secretary of MDCAN, Dr. Sunday Oriji, told reporters on Monday that the medical college of the institution will remain crippled until the university's management does the right thing.

He said: "The acting Vice Chancellor is a seasoned lawyer, and we know she will do what is right. We duly notified them of our moves before we embarked on the strike.

Our congress observed that the advert required that an applicant for the position of Vice Chancellor of NAU must possess a first degree, Master’s degree and a PhD. The academic pathway of the clinical lecturers, in NAU and globally, does not fit into that.

The advert deliberately excludes all of our members in the faculties of Medicine and Basic Clinical sciences. It is a complete deviation from similar adverts in the past for the position.

We have duly notified the relevant bodies and offices of our withdrawal of services, and that will continue until the university's management does what is right."