By Israel Adamu, Jos
The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has called on the Federal Government to sanctioned any Nigerian Universities perpetuating the exclusion of its qualified members from contesting for the position of Vice-Chancellor (VC) in the country.
According to MDCAN, the development stems from archaic criteria that prioritize candidates with PhD, much lower qualifications than professorship.
MDCAN stated this in a statement jointly signed by the president Prof Mohammad Aminu and Secretary General Prof Daiyabu Ibrahim made available to newsmen in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
They warned that this discriminatory practice, entrenched in the advertisement for the appointment of Vice Chancellors of many universities, violates principles of meritocracy, equity, guidelines for such appointments by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigerian Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act (Amendment) 2003.
Our correspondent reports that MDCAN is the umbrella body for Medical and Dental Consultants in Nigeria, committed to advancing specialist healthcare services, medical education, research, ethical practice, and the welfare of its members.
According to them, despite possessing the highest academic qualifications (Professorial Chairs), extensive administrative experiences as Heads of Departments, Deans, and Provosts of Colleges of Medicine, and demonstrable leadership capabilities, leading citation index and attracting highest grants; Medical and Dental Academics are routinely excluded from aspiring to the pinnacle of university leadership.
They also maintained that their members are not/never “second-class” academics. They are full Professors, who contribute significantly to teaching, research, community service, and Universities global visibility and governance. Yet, a glass ceiling persists, preventing them from leading the very institutions they help to build.
The Medical and Dental doctors further argued that “This is not just an MDCAN issue; it is a stain on Nigeria’s higher education system. Universities must reflect the diversity of their academic community in leadership roles.”
According to the statement, the development is a violation of university autonomy and laws as the criteria requiring candidates to possess a PhD, a lower qualification than Professorship, which is the zenith of any academic qualification, contradicts the Nigerian Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which recognizes Colleges of Medicine as constituent and distinct parts of Universities.
They also pointed out that it will led to loss of qualified leadership adding that Nigerian Universities are deprived of seasoned leaders with unique insights into healthcare-education synergy; a critical need in our nation facing public health challenges and migration of its skilled manpower outside the country.
MDCAN further explained that the discriminatory practices, arbitrary requirements excludes Medical and Dental Professors despite their eligibility under universal academic standards stressing that Nationally and Internationally, Medical Academics routinely ascend to VC roles and do excellently well, proving the recent exclusion is uniquely Nigerian and counterproductive.
According to them, ” This marginalization demoralizes medical academics, stifles interdisciplinary innovation, and undermines Nigeria’s quest for educational excellence. We demanded for the revision of the recent advertisements of University of Calabar and University of Uyo, that excluded qualified Medical and Dental Professors”.
The statement also called on University Governing Councils to adopt the Transparent, merit-based processes as enshrined in the Federal Ministry of Education’s Guidelines for the Appointment of Vice Chancellors, Provosts and Rectors and aligned with the NUC’s mandate for equitable leadership opportunities.
The Medical and Dental doctors commended the Hon. Minister of Education
Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa
for the recent (April, 2025) explicit guidelines and directives on the issue while urging the Federal Ministry of Education, NUC, and University Governing Councils to act swiftly to rectify this injustice and reprimand earring institutions, as was done in the cases of Nnamdi Azikiwe University and university of Abuja adding that Nigerian universities cannot afford to exclude one of their best minds from leadership.
