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By Madu Obi
Medical students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka have expressed concern over academic disruptions and graduation delays due to the ongoing strike by members of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) in the school over Vice Chancellorship contest.
According to the students, the university and MDCAN should prioritize their education by calling off the strike.
Recall that lecturers under the umbrella of MDCAN embarked on the strike on September 24, 2024, to protest the governing council's decision to include requirements that allegedly disqualify medical and dental lecturers from contesting the university's Vice Chancellor position.
The students argued that their studies and examinations were being stalled due to the strike, warning that they might be forced to embark on a serious protest to drive home their feeling on the issue.
President of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Medical Students Association, Emmanuel Ikefuna, said that examinations for 500 and 600-level students have been stalled, preventing them from progressing to the next class and graduating due to the strike.
Ikefuna said: "We are planning to stage a mega protest at the main campus in Awka because learning activities have been stopped. We had protested in Nnewi on October 3rd and we are now planning a mega protest in Awka.
When students go to the hospital to learn, they get chased away from the clinics and the wards. The final year students were supposed to start their exams to graduate immediately, but the strike has stalled the whole thing, and this is adding to the fact that medical students have stayed so long in school because after the strike, not even an hour was removed from our calendar.
We had an extra one year plus and everybody had extra 16 months. There is nobody in this school that is our mate, because whenever they call off a strike, they finish immediately, but not for medical schools. So, this is the problem we’ve been facing.
We’ve invested so much time and effort preparing for our exams, and now everything is just on hold.
It’s incredibly disheartening because our future is hanging in the balance. We just want to return to our classes and continue our education without this uncertainty hanging over us."
Chairman of MDCAN at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Victor Modekwe, however, said the strike is for the good of students.
"If we arrive at the conclusion with the council, school starts. Like we said, a terrible injustice is being done to the medical profession. Students also will suffer because if they graduate and if we allow this to happen, then their future is bleak and the future of medical education in Nigeria is bleak," he said.
Special Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor on Public Relations, Dr. Emma Ojukwu, in a reaction said: "The Governing Council insists that if the National Universities Commission, NUC writes to confirm medical fellowship as equivalent to PhD, it will be considered for the purpose of appointing the substantive Vice-Chancellor.
"The Council has restated its commitment to creating a level playing ground for all staff to aspire to any position, including the office of the Vice-Chancellor.
The authorities have assured all staff of inclusion and urge MDCAN to resume work in the interest of the students."
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