The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has directed the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State to withdraw and revise its current advertisement for the position of Vice-Chancellor. This decision follows a protest by clinical lecturers at the institution, who threatened to go on strike over what they described as unfair qualification requirements in the VC selection process.
The protest was led by the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, which argued that the current advert excluded qualified medical professionals who hold fellowships instead of PhDs. In a memo sent to the university’s Governing Council on June 13, 2025, the group demanded that the university adjust the criteria or face industrial action. They issued a two-week deadline set to expire on July 1, 2025.
Speaking on the issue, MDCAN’s National President, Prof. Muhammad Muhammad, confirmed that the Minister of Education had personally intervened in the matter. He revealed that during a conference call with the Minister and the UNIUYO Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Alausa instructed the university to retract the advertisement and publish a new version that includes both PhD and Fellowship qualifications.
The university management and the MDCAN chapter at UNIUYO are expected to meet within the next 48 hours to finalize the next steps and prevent disruption of academic activities.
This action by the Ministry aims to ensure fairness, inclusion, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the education sector.
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