The medical school at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Nnewi Campus, has been paralyzed for 12 days following a strike by clinical lecturers under the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria.

The strike was triggered by an advertisement for the vice-chancellorship position, which the lecturers claim unfairly excludes medical professors by requiring candidates to have a first degree, Master’s, and PhD—qualifications that do not align with the academic pathways of clinical lecturers.

Dr. Sunday Oriji, Secretary of the Association, stated that the strike would continue until the university’s management addresses their concerns. He emphasized that the requirements outlined in the current advert are a significant deviation from previous practices, effectively shutting out qualified members of the faculties of Medicine and Basic Clinical Sciences from leadership roles within the institution.

The lecturers had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umeobi, protesting the perceived exclusion. With no resolution in sight, they withdrew their services, halting all teaching and clinical training activities, and plunging the medical school into disarray, leaving students’ education and training at a standstill.