A major controversy has erupted at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) following the Vice Chancellor’s decision to send home hundreds of students from the Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Surgery. The move comes after it was discovered that the university had admitted far beyond the quota approved by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (NMDC).
The programme, which is officially permitted to admit only 10 students per session, reportedly accepted as many as 90 students in some cohorts. Over 300 students across 200 to 600 levels are now affected. Many of them have spent between six and eight years in the system and were nearing graduation before being abruptly asked to leave.
The situation escalated after a memo dated July 7 from the Provost’s office invited students and their parents to a meeting scheduled for July 10 at the College of Medical Sciences meeting hall. At the gathering, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Banku Obi, announced that all affected students must vacate the campus immediately until further notice. No clear pathway was provided for reintegration or resolution.
According to multiple sources present at the meeting, the Provost reportedly told final-year students to “go learn a trade,” a comment that has sparked widespread outrage and emotional reactions from the affected students and their families.
A final-year student who was spoken to said the decision was both disheartening and unjust. “The school, out of greed, admitted a lot of students just to generate more funds. Now, they have asked us to go home because they can’t manipulate their fraudulent admission practices. We’ve spent millions on tuition, accommodation, clinicals, and materials. It’s cruel.”
Students say they are now stranded with no academic continuity, no transfer guarantees, and no offer of compensation. Many are calling on relevant education authorities and professional bodies to step in and hold the institution accountable for its actions.
The Vice Chancellor has reportedly banned all forms of protest on campus, warning students against any attempt to organize demonstrations or public gatherings. This development has further fueled tensions, with students accusing the university of silencing their voices rather than addressing their plight.
Observers have described the situation as a failure of institutional responsibility. While the university’s attempt to comply with NMDC regulations may be justified in principle, critics argue that the same administration should be held responsible for knowingly admitting more students than it could legally train and graduate.
Staff members, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the university had long ignored regulatory warnings about over-enrollment. Now, with the regulatory bodies clamping down, it is the students who are bearing the brunt.
Calls have intensified for the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). Legal practitioners and civil society organisations have also begun mobilizing in support of the affected students.
As of press time, the university management had not issued any formal apology or comprehensive plan for redress. Students remain in uncertainty, with their futures hanging in the balance.
This is a developing story.
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