A claim that the University of Calabar’s Dental Department licence has been withdrawn has surfaced online. The claim made by an X user @winxviv was also amplified by Instablog9ja, a microblogging platform.
The claim was accompanied by a video that showed some students with lab coats in what looked like a protest.
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A portion of the footage’s audio transcription reads:
…Seven years ago, the University of Calabar admitted my colleagues into this fine institution with hopes that after a certain period of time, they would graduate and practice without any issues. Fast forward to now, they are telling them that may not happen. These are my friends. I have had classes with these people, I have played with these people, I have laughed with these people, so you are trying to tell me that [sic] after seven years, after passing exam, after reading, after spending countless nights to make this dream work…
The X user posted the video with a caption that reads :
CLAIM
UNICAL Dental department licence withdrawn.
THE FINDINGSÂ
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The ICIR reported that students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) College of Medical Sciences in the Dentitry department, some in their final year were recently informed that they may not be allowed to graduate, register with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), or continue their studies due to accreditation issues tied to the university’s disregard for admission quotas.
According to the MDCN’s official quota list as of July 2025, UNICAL is approved to admit only 10 students annually into its dentistry programme. However, findings showed that the university had consistently admitted more than the approved limit across multiple levels.
UNICAL Vice Chancellor, Florence Obi, confirmed the violation in an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. Describing the situation as depressing. She added that an appeal had been made to the Minister of Education for urgent intervention.
Obi also stated that internal investigations were underway to determine how the over-admissions occurred and promised disciplinary actions against staff found responsible, including the dean, admissions officer, and provost.
Meanwhile, the MDCN and the National Universities Commission (NUC), the bodies responsible for accreditation, have not issued any public statement withdrawing the programme’s licence.
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Addressing speculation on social media, Obi debunked claims that the dental school had lost its accreditation, calling them misinformation and a distortion of facts. She stressed that the programme remains accredited and no directive has been issued to transfer students to other institutions.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the University of Calabar’s Dental Department licence has been withdrawn is false. While the university admitted significantly more students than the quota approved by the MDCN, raising concerns about their eligibility to graduate or register, the programme remains accredited. No official withdrawal notice has been issued by either the MDCN or the NUC.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
