MDCAN Threatens Shutdown Over Exclusion from Nnamdi Azikiwe University VC Race

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has raised concerns over the alleged exclusion of its members from contesting for the position of Vice-Chancellor (VC) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka. The association criticized the recent vacancy advertisement, claiming it imposed "injurious" requirements that sidelined medical professionals.

In a communiqué issued on Friday, September 20, 2024, after an emergency general meeting, MDCAN highlighted that the advertised qualifications, which mandate a first degree, master’s degree, and PhD for applicants, unfairly exclude lecturers from the faculties of medicine, basic clinical sciences, and basic medical sciences. The communiqué was signed by MDCAN Chairman Victor Modekwe and Secretary Sunday Oriji.

MDCAN stated that the academic pathway for clinical lecturers includes a first degree (MBBS/BDS), primary fellowship examination, and both Part I and Part II/Final fellowship exams, culminating in a medical fellowship. The omission of this fellowship qualification in the vacancy advertisement, the association argued, deviated from the criteria used in a similar 2019 advert for the same position and was detrimental to the medical profession.

The association has given the university council a seven-day ultimatum to withdraw the current advert. Failure to do so, MDCAN warned, would lead to an indefinite industrial action that would affect all academic activities involving medical and clinical lecturers at NAU.

MDCAN's communiqué emphasized that their concerns were communicated to the office of the pro-chancellor on August 2, urging the university to avoid inserting what they described as "strange and exclusionary" requirements into the advert. They called for the inclusion of postgraduate medical fellowships in place of the PhD requirement and for the exclusion of a master’s degree from the criteria.

The association urged the university council to swiftly address the issue to prevent unnecessary disruptions in the academic sector and to safeguard the interests of medical professionals at NAU.