Former Labour Party presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi has called on Nigerian leaders to make education and citizen welfare a top priority, warning that students must not be made to bear the consequences of poor governance.
In a statement shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Obi expressed deep concern over the growing challenges faced by medical and dental students in state-owned universities—challenges he said are threatening their academic progression through no fault of their own.
“Following my visit yesterday to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), I received alarming reports about the situation at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where ongoing issues surrounding graduation and induction quotas for dental students have raised serious concern,” Obi wrote.
While acknowledging assurances from UNICAL’s vice chancellor, who pledged to resolve the matter, Obi stressed that the students must not be the ones to suffer as a result of institutional failures.
“Whatever the root cause, one thing is clear: no student should suffer due to what I consider a failure of leadership,” he stated.
“We must provide our young people with quality education, especially in key areas like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).”
Obi warned that setbacks in STEM education, particularly in medical fields, could have long-term consequences for national development. He argued that bureaucratic delays or administrative missteps should not be allowed to jeopardize students’ futures or disrupt academic timelines.
Recalling his time as Governor of Anambra State, Obi shared a similar experience when the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria shut down the medical school at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University due to the lack of a teaching hospital.
“Students who had already spent years studying medicine were told they could only graduate in other science disciplines. I had just assumed office when I met the crisis, but I refused to let those innocent students suffer,” he said.
Obi recounted personally appealing to the Council and taking full responsibility to address the issue. He committed to building a teaching hospital from scratch and completed the project—now the Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka—within 18 months, restoring accreditation and saving the students’ academic futures.
He urged the federal government to intervene in the UNICAL case, providing both financial and structural support to ensure a swift resolution.
“The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar and her team must be empowered to resolve this issue immediately to ensure that no student is made to suffer for circumstances beyond their control,” he said.
Obi concluded with a broader message, calling for a renewed national commitment to education and healthcare. He warned that Nigeria cannot continue to underfund critical sectors while misallocating resources to less impactful areas.
“Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria,” he warned.
