Follow Us on Google
Deepen fight against sexual harassment
_____________________________________________________________________
Alumni of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have stepped in to ensure that the suspension of the accreditation quota of its medical school is lifted.
The former students also said they would refurbish the medical school hostel of the institution to give it a facelift.
President of UNICAL Graduate Club, Dr Chioma Uzo-Udegbunam, disclosed the commitment of the club yesterday at the 2026 Maiden Awards/Symposium and Fundraising Programme in Abuja.
Uzo-Udegbunam also said the club, alongside other members, would deepen the fight against sexual harassment and other nefarious practices bedevilling the institution.
She said: “The medical school was suspended in the University of Calabar, and a barrage of lists were drawn, and we were asked to meet those needs in the list by medical school.”
“So, the club decided to take one of the issues because there are so many. I can’t really say, maybe 15, 25 or thereabouts items on that list. So, we decided to take the painting of the medical school hostel.”
“There are a lot, but we decided to take out this one. And then from that list, it is not more than two million. So now, we are looking at that.”
“But if we can get more than that, because the major aim of this event is for us to see what we can do to make sure that our accreditation quota is lifted. That is what we are trying to do. So, we decided to say, okay, let us go and do it. They gave us six months to achieve that.”
“Also, we are campaigning and championing positivity, you know, to have a new University of Calabar.”
The Director of Administration, Abuja Area Council Services Secretariat, also dispelled rumours of division among members of the association.
She said: “Let me take for instance, let me drive the point home. You have the Catholic Church, and in the Catholic Church, you have the Catholic Men Organisation.”
“You have the Catholic Women Organisation. You have the various organisations, state associations, you have the St Joseph Association, there is the Anambra and Enugu Association, you have St Vincent de Paul, you have a Sacred Heart of Mary, all of them belong to where? The Catholic Church.”
Other News
“So, now, that is what it is. You know, we have the alumni, which is the government, which is the general body. Once you are a graduate of that university, that means you are part and parcel.”
“But we now have departments. We have medical sciences, we have the English and Literary Studies, we have the linguistics, each and every one of them, they all have their own various groups,”
“So, now, for us, we now decided to pull from all the departments, you know, even from the main body, the alumni, and then form a club, all right.”
The Keynote Speaker, Rev. Fr. Prof. Bakwaph Peter Kanyip, encouraged former students to identify with their alma mater by contributing to the development of the institution.
“Participants in this event are to understand the need to be in touch with their alma mater. And the university is in need of the resuscitation of our College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, where it has been under suspension for some time, and they are giving six months to resuscitate it.”
“And there is a lot of need in terms of students’ hostels, in the teaching hospital, in the transportation system, and the general facilities.”
“So, in that case, we are just calling on the graduates and also those who are affiliated with the university in one way or the other, to be able to make some kind of contribution to see that that department or that college is given its full accreditation, so that it can come back and function very well. Because we need medical doctors, whether we like it or not.”
On the declining culture of reading and brain drain, Kanyip said: “First, for us to revive education, we need to conscientise and monitor our youth on the use of phones. Most of us, or most of our youth, who are generally known as Gen Z, spend most of their time on phones, either on social media. And everybody wants to be a content creator.”
“At the end of the day, the time that they are supposed to give for their studies is no longer there. The exams this year, let’s look at the external exams. JAMB is not wonderful.”
“WAEC is not wonderful. NECO is not wonderful. JUPEB is not wonderful. Probably small IJMB, averagely. So, where are we going to and what is the problem? The problem is simple. The culture of reading has gone down.”
“Hardly will you have students sitting down for two hours to study. Unlike during our time, when you could sit four, six hours at a go, and read, and assimilate, and be able to be productive. But now, they can’t spend two hours.”
“At most, when they are reading, they are tempted to touch their phones. And once you begin to touch, you are distracted. So, that is where the problem is.”
