CALABAR: In a timely act of intervention, former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has donated ₦20 million to the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to assist 400 level students currently facing possible expulsion or withdrawal from the institution.
The donation comes on the heels of a public outcry over the plight of the students, who are said to be victims of administrative lapses and neglect within the university system.
The affected students had taken to social media and staged protests, revealing that many of them, despite spending years in the institution, had not been properly registered or advanced academically due to systemic issues within the Dentistry department.
Some students reportedly spent over eight years in the faculty without graduating, primarily due to accreditation challenges, lack of clinical facilities, and the university’s alleged failure to fulfill professional requirements set by regulatory bodies.
Following growing public attention, students decried threats by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, to expel or withdraw them for non accreditation by their professional body or being non compliant with academic progression guidelines an action many saw as unjust and lacking empathy, especially considering the university’s role in the delays.
Peter Obi’s intervention, therefore, is being hailed as both compassionate and responsive. In a statement, he emphasized the need for systemic reform in Nigeria’s education sector, saying: No student should be punished for institutional failure. These young Nigerians deserve support, not expulsion.
The donation is expected to help offset some of the critical operational and clinical needs of the faculty, potentially providing relief and academic continuity for the stranded students.
This development adds to the growing debate on the state of Nigeria’s public universities, which continue to struggle with poor funding, mismanagement, and deteriorating academic standards—all at the expense of students’ futures.
