Peter Obi, while presenting the demonstration check to the UNICAL Dentistry students.
By Ita Williams, Calabar
The former Anambra State governor and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over the plight of more than 300 final-year Dentistry students at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), who have been left stranded due to regulatory bottlenecks and inadequate infrastructure.
He described the issue as a “national disgrace”.
Speaking during a private visit to Calabar on Friday, July 25, Obi when he met with some of the affected students at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar and described their ordeal as, “a heartbreaking reflection of leadership failure in Nigeria’s education and health sectors.”
“These students have spent years studying, only to be told they can’t graduate. How can a country do this to its young people?” Obi asked, visibly moved by the students’ plight. “This is unacceptable. We are punishing hardworking youths for failures they didn’t cause.”
The Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (NMDC) has refused to induct the students, citing non-compliance with its quota requirement of 10 students per session.
UNICAL, which currently has over 300 students in its final year of Dentistry, has reportedly fallen short of the council’s basic facility standards, particularly the absence of modern dental chairs and equipment.
In a swift move, Obi announced a personal donation of ₦20 million to help UNICAL procure 15 modern dental chairs, one of the key requirements to increase its quota and align with NMDC regulations.
“I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians in government, the private sector, and civil society to support these students. This is not just a Calabar issue; it’s a national disgrace,” he said.
