Unizik VC Race: Medical School Shuts Down Amidst Strike by Clinical Lecturers
Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s (NAU) College of Medicine has been shut down for eight days due to a strike by clinical lecturers protesting their exclusion from the Vice Chancellor (VC) race.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
Academic activities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) College of Medicine, Awka, remain suspended eight days after clinical lecturers initiated a strike in protest. The strike, led by the Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), came in response to what the lecturers believe is an attempt to exclude their members from the ongoing Vice Chancellor (VC) race.
The university’s Governing Council had recently advertised the position of VC, setting out criteria that the lecturers argue were specifically designed to exclude qualified candidates from the Faculties of Medicine, Basic Clinical Sciences, and Basic Medical Sciences. The advertisement mandates that applicants must possess a first degree, a Master’s degree, and a PhD, requirements which MDCAN claims do not align with the traditional academic pathway of clinical lecturers, both in Nigeria and globally.
In a communiqué signed by Dr. Victor Modekwe and Dr. Sunday Oriji, MDCAN-NAUTH Chairman and Secretary, the lecturers rejected these criteria. They urged the university to revise the advertisement by replacing the PhD requirement with a Post-Graduate Medical Fellowship and eliminating the Master’s degree requirement altogether, in recognition of their specialized career progression.
The strike has left students at NAU’s Teaching Hospital in Nnewi stranded, with many preparing for their final year examinations. One anonymous medical student expressed concerns that if the strike continues, their graduation could be delayed for another year. “This is my 8th year in medical school without repeating a class. COVID-19 and past ASUU strikes have already extended my stay by two years,” the student lamented.
Efforts to speak with any of the striking lecturers were unsuccessful, as many were absent from their offices, and those present declined to comment on the situation.
The shutdown of the medical school has raised concerns, with students urging the university administration to resolve the issues with the lecturers and bring academic activities back on track.
