Obi said he took full responsibility and assured the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria that a functional teaching hospital would be built within two years — a task they believed impossible.

“They told me it was impossible to build such a facility in two years. But I insisted, because leaders must be solution-driven, especially when the lives and futures of our young people are at stake.

“In less than 18 months, I fulfilled that promise. I built and commissioned what is now known as Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka, saving not just the accreditation of the medical faculty but the futures of young aspiring doctors to this day,” he said.

No Student Should Suffer for Leadership Failures

Following my visit yesterday to the Faculty of Dental Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), I was inundated with reports concerning developments at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), where issues around the Dental…

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) July 19, 2025

Calling for swift federal government action, the LP 2023 flagbearer urged financial and institutional support for the university’s management to ensure that no student is penalised for issues beyond their control.

“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 that are in no way their fault,” he said.

The ex-Anambra governor warned against the continued neglect of critical sectors such as education and healthcare.  “At this critical time in our nation, we cannot afford to continue the downward trend of neglecting education and healthcare or of failing to lift people out of poverty while wasting resources on areas that bring no tangible value. Our children must not continue to lose their future in Nigeria,” Obi said.

On Wednesday, the UNICAL VC appealed for calm during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, assuring that efforts were underway to resolve the lingering crisis.

“I want to appeal to the students and parents… to be calm that, on my honour, we will see how, together, with MDCN, we can resolve the problem. I take responsibility, even for the ones I inherited,” she said.

Professor Obi disclosed that overadmission—accepting 60 students instead of the MDCN-approved 10—was at the core of the issue and promised that those responsible would face consequences.

She further stated that she would meet with the Minister of Education to seek intervention, with the hope that the matter would be resolved within the next two months.