Nine Varsities may Lose 159 Courses’ Accreditation

Universities Affected

The nine universities whose courses are affected include:

University of Ilorin
University of Jos, Plateau State
University of Calabar
Bayero University, Kano
University of Benin, Edo State
University of Lagos
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
University of Ibadan

Role of the National Universities Commission (NUC)

The National Universities Commission (NUC) is the federal government agency responsible for:

Setting minimum academic standards for Nigerian universities
Accrediting degree programmes across the country

The NUC prepared the minimum academic standards for 13 disciplines in 1989, with expert input. These disciplines include:

Administration
Agriculture
Arts
Basic Medical Sciences
Education
Engineering and Technology
Environmental Sciences
Law
Medicine and Dentistry
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Sciences
Social Sciences
Veterinary Medicine

Courses and Accreditation Expiry

The 159 courses were all granted full accreditation by the NUC in 2017, with validity set to expire in 2022, according to NUC accreditation records from 1990–2021.

Some notable examples include:

University of Ilorin – Department of Information and Communication Sciences (only course expiring)
University of Ibadan – Pharmacy
University of Jos – 20 courses
Obafemi Awolowo University – 31 courses including Public Administration, French, German, History, Linguistics, Yoruba, and Medical Rehabilitation
University of Calabar – 15 courses
Bayero University, Kano – 14 courses
University of Benin – 27 courses
University of Lagos – 27 courses
Ahmadu Bello University – 23 courses

Impact of the ASUU Strike

Efforts to contact Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, the NUC Executive Secretary, for comment were unsuccessful as calls and messages were unanswered.

Regarding whether accreditation processes could continue during the strike, Dr. Gbolahan Bolarin, ASUU chairman at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said:

“Accreditation of courses cannot be done during strike. All activities are suspended.”

However, pre-accreditation activities such as:

Drawing up lists of academic programmes to be accredited
Compiling lists of panel chairmen/members
Time-tabling and budgeting
Organising accreditation coordination meetings and simulation workshops

can still occur despite the strike.

Summary

With the strike ongoing, the actual accreditation visits and evaluations of these 159 courses cannot take place until academic activities resume. Universities affected and students in these programmes may face delays if the strike persists beyond the expiration date of the current accreditation.