The medical school of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Nnewi campus has been shut as closed as clinical lecturers continue their strike over the alleged exclusion of their members from the race for the institution’s next Vice Chancellor (VC).
The strike, led by members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), has severely impacted the academic calendar, particularly for final-year medical students, some of whom have spent eight years pursuing their degrees.
Professor Joseph Ifeanyichukwu Ikechebelu was appointed as Acting Vice Chancellor in June 2024 but it was terminated by the Governing Council in late July and replaced with Professor Carol Arinze-Umobi.
Already, the process for selecting a substantive VC has been set in motion but the lecturers’ main grievance is that the recent advertisement for the Office of Vice Chancellor position requires candidates to hold a PhD, a requirement that effectively excludes clinical lecturers.
The striking doctors argue that their Fellowships in various branches of medicine are equivalent to a PhD, and many of them have been professors for decades.
Specifically, there are allegations that the process is geared to excluding Professor Ikechebelu, who is of the UNIZIK Media School.
On August 2, 2024, the lecturers wrote to the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Carol Arinze-Umeobi, protesting the exclusion of their members from the VC selection process. Despite their complaints, the university’s governing council has yet to address their concerns, prompting the ongoing strike, which entered its 12th day on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, MDCAN Secretary, Dr. Sunday Oriji, stated that the medical college will remain shut until the university management resolves the issue.
He said: “The acting Vice Chancellor is a seasoned lawyer, and we trust she will do what is right. We formally notified them of our intentions before embarking on the strike. Our congress observed that the advert for the VC position requires a first degree, Master’s degree, and PhD, but the academic pathway for clinical lecturers, both in UNIZIK and globally, does not align with this.”
Oriji further explained that the exclusion of clinical lecturers from the faculties of Medicine and Basic Clinical Sciences is a departure from previous advertisements for the VC role. He emphasized that their withdrawal of services would continue until the university takes appropriate action.
“The advert deliberately excludes all of our members, and we will maintain the strike until the university’s management addresses this injustice,” Oriji added.
