Clinical Lecturers at UNICAL, UNIUYO Protest ‘Discriminatory’ Advertorial for VC Role

Esther Oluku 

Clinical lecturers at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and University of Uyo (UNIUYO) under the aegis of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) are protesting what they describe as discriminatory advertorials for the position of Vice Chancellor at their respective institutions.

According to the UNICAL chapter of MDCAN, a newspaper advert published on May 27, 2025, advertised an opening for the role of Vice Chancellor with the criterion that the candidate possess a PhD certification. 

MDCAN UNICAL described this criterion as a “premeditated and intentional disenfranchisement” of qualified medical and dental specialists. The group noted that the exclusion violates guidelines issued by the Federal Ministry of Education, which recommend inclusive criteria for Vice Chancellor recruitment across federal universities.

The group further argued that the professional trajectory for clinical professionals offers a globally recognized Medical Fellowship as a terminal qualification for clinical academic staff, hence the inclusion of PhD requirements deliberately sidelined clinical professionals from the application process.

Meanwhile, at UNIUYO, in addition to the PhD requirement in an advertorial published on May 29, 2025, for the position of Vice Chancellor, other requirements included 20 years of uninterrupted teaching and not less than 10 journal publications in the last two years. 

In a letter signed by the Chairman of MDCAN UNIUYO, Dr. Ibiok Uendiah, and the Secretary, Dr. Solomon Bassey, the group stated that the requirements are not only discriminatory but also fail to recognize the long-established and government-approved qualification pathway for clinical lecturers—the Medical Fellowship.

In their argument, MDCAN UNIUYO noted that the requirement of 10 recent journal publications within two years is impractical, given the ethical constraints and extensive approval processes involved in clinical research involving human subjects. 

Additionally, the petition challenged the 20-year uninterrupted teaching requirement, arguing that such a clause unfairly penalizes academics who have taken federally approved sabbaticals, study leave, or secondments to gain broader academic exposure. The association emphasized that no such stipulation exists in federal guidelines or the university’s enabling law.

While UNICAL MDCAN has activated an indefinite strike action starting June 13, 2025, UNIUYO MDCAN is giving the Governing Council of UNIUYO a two-week ultimatum ending July 1, 2025, to take corrective action.

UNICAL MDCAN is demanding that the University Governing Council take the following actions: “Immediate withdrawal of the current advert; Re-publication of an inclusive advert that recognizes both PhD and Fellowship qualifications; Extension of the application deadline to compensate for the lost period and ensure all eligible candidates are given equal opportunity; Suspension of the ongoing selection process until the advert is revised.”

Meanwhile, UNIUYO is demanding that the University Governing Council: “Immediately withdraw the current advert; Re-issue an inclusive call for applications that recognizes Fellowship qualifications alongside PhDs; Remove unrealistic publication and continuous teaching clauses; Provide assurance that all qualified professors—including clinical academics—can compete fairly for the Vice Chancellor position.”