Hope returns to UNICAL dental students as Senator Asuquo intervenes 

Hope returns to UNICAL dental students as Senator Asuquo intervenes 

Relief is in sight for 392 dental students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), following the intervention of Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, who on Monday convened an emergency meeting at the National Assembly to address their precarious academic situation

Senator Asuquo on Monday convened a high-level emergency meeting at the National Assembly to address the growing crisis surrounding 392 dental students of the University of Calabar, who face a bleak academic future after revelations of gross over-admission in breach of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s approved quota.

Present at the meeting were Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, Prof. Fatima Kyari, Registrar/CEO of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and her management team, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, and Emmanuel Obo, President, SUG, University of Calabar.

The MDCN Registrar, Prof. Kyari, briefed the Senate, stating that the University had consistently violated the Council’s 10-student-per-class accreditation quota, resulting in massive overflow across academic levels and compromising educational standards. “This level of over-admission not only undermines regulatory standards but threatens the professional future of hundreds of students.” Kyari told the Senate panel.

Senator Asuquo, who received multiple petitions from parents, civil society groups, and academic stakeholders, described the situation as “an educational emergency” and called for urgent remedial action. “We are not here to apportion blame. We are here to save the futures of 392 young Nigerians. There must be a path forward and quickly,” the Senator stated.

He proposed several immediate interventions, including a one-time MDCN-supervised waiver for final-year students who have already passed qualifying exams, to enable their induction, increased investment in dental training infrastructure via TETFund to expand the University’s quota, a possible transfer of some students to the Medicine and Surgery and other medical programs due to existing capacity limitations in the Dental faculty, an investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education to summon the Vice Chancellor and Provost of the Medical College for a full briefing, and stricter compliance enforcement by MDCN to prevent future over-enrollment.

Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, Chair of the Senate Health Committee, added her voice in support of the students; “These students must not be left hanging due to administrative lapses. The future of our health sector depends on how we handle cases like this.” She directed the MDCN to return with clear, actionable solutions before the expected meeting between the Senate Tertiary Education Committee and the university authorities.

The meeting ended with a consensus that the Senate would remain actively engaged in resolving the matter, with a view to balancing regulatory integrity with the students’ right to a future.