By Mary Emeka
The University of Calabar’s College of Medicine and Medical Sciences is facing an urgent infrastructure challenge that could affect its accreditation within the next six months, the University of Calabar Graduates Elite Club, Abuja, has disclosed.
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The warning was issued at the club’s annual summit and fundraising dinner held in Abuja on Saturday, where alumni and other stakeholders were urged to mobilise resources to support the institution’s medical education programme.
The Dean, Faculty of Education, Veritas University, Abuja, Prof. Peter Bakwaph, who delivered the keynote presentation at the event, said the university’s medical college was in need of urgent rehabilitation to address its infrastructure and operational challenges.
According to him, the situation requires immediate intervention to enable the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences to retain its full accreditation.
“The university is in deep need of the resuscitation of her College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, where she has been under suppression for some time, and they are given six months to resuscitate it,” Bakwaph said.
He identified students’ hostels, facilities at the teaching hospital, transportation and other infrastructure as some of the areas requiring urgent attention.
Bakwaph appealed to UNICAL alumni, corporate organisations and other well-wishers to support the university, stressing that investment in medical education has implications for the wider healthcare system.
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He also called for increased government funding for education and urged policymakers to examine approaches adopted by other African countries, including Kenya, in supporting the sector.
The academic further advocated the extension of tertiary education scholarships to students in both public and private institutions, arguing that sustainable funding and policy continuity were necessary to address challenges confronting higher education.
He also linked declining reading habits among young Nigerians to excessive digital distractions, urging parents to guide their children on responsible use of smartphones and social media.
The summit, organised around alumni engagement and strategic fundraising, also featured the presentation of “Best of the Best” awards to about 20 distinguished personalities.
Five directors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration were among those honoured. They included the Director of Information and Communication, Anthony Ogunleye; Director of Reforms Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu; Director of the FCT Education Resource Centre, Amb. Neemat Abdulrahim; Director of the FCT Fire Service, Engr. Adebayo Zacchaeus; and Acting Managing Director/CEO of Abuja Markets Management Limited, Onya Oniji.
A staff member of the FCT Fire Service, Lambata Abdul, was also recognised for heroism after surviving a near-fatal incident during a firefighting operation.
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The President of the University of Calabar Graduates Elite Club, Abuja, Mrs Chioma Uzo-Udegbunam, said alumni engagement should extend beyond occasional donations to sustained contributions of expertise, networks, resources and ideas.
She said strategic fundraising was essential to helping educational and non-profit institutions build sustainable capacity, particularly amid Nigeria’s economic challenges.