NUC plans accreditation monitoring, sanctions two universities over honorary degrees
Abdullahi Ribadu, executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), says the commission is planning post-accreditation monitoring visits to ensure universities maintain academic standards.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2026 NUC retreat with vice-chancellors of Nigerian universities, Ribadu said the commission has sanctioned two institutions for violating its guidelines on honorary doctorate degrees.
He said the commission was on the verge of introducing post-accreditation monitoring visits to strengthen quality assurance by ensuring universities sustain the standards required for programme accreditation.
He said the commission had also introduced new guidelines for awarding and using honorary doctorate degrees, with sanctions for institutions that violate the rules.
To strengthen oversight of admissions, Ribadu said the NUC had introduced post-matriculation monitoring and carrying-capacity visits, which would complement existing programme accreditation and resource verification exercises.
He described vice-chancellors, as chairpersons of their universities’ senates, as the commission’s “frontliners” in quality assurance, urging them to ensure that institutional decisions followed due process and reflected universities’ priorities.
The NUC executive secretary said the commission had deployed the e-NUC platform to automate its operations and was developing accreditation software to improve transparency and data management.
He cautioned, however, that digital transformation required more than acquiring hardware and software, stressing the need for institutional readiness, cybersecurity and capacity building.
On research, Ribadu said the commission planned to establish a Division for Research Commercialisation to help translate academic findings into practical solutions and marketable products.
He also announced plans for a study tour of European and Asian universities for selected vice-chancellors, alongside the development of Blueprint 2.0 for the revitalisation of university education and a 21st Century Strategic Plan.
He urged universities to revive institutional strategic planning and establish clear priorities for improving their performance.
On funding, Ribadu acknowledged the challenges posed by inadequate resources and encouraged universities to explore partnerships with the private sector, alumni and development partners.
He cited the commission’s partnerships with the World Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Declaring the retreat open, Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state for education, said the adoption of artificial intelligence in universities must be accompanied by safeguards for academic integrity, ethical standards and data protection.
Ahmad called for stronger compliance with regulatory directives, noting that the challenges facing higher education required collaboration between university managements and regulators.
She said vice-chancellors, as chief accounting officers of their institutions, must uphold established governance structures and ensure transparency and accountability in finance, procurement, recruitment, promotion, admissions and examinations.
The minister urged university leaders to establish clear institutional visions and measurable performance targets, adding that the retreat should focus on translating discussions into practical action.
She welcomed a proposal to conclude the retreat with a communiqué outlining agreed policy actions and institutional commitments, supported by post-retreat monitoring and feedback mechanisms.
According to her, the arrangement would provide a practical roadmap for measurable improvements across the university system.
Also speaking, Segun Aina, registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), urged vice-chancellors to fully adopt and consistently use the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to promote transparency, accountability and the protection of candidates.
Aina warned that admissions conducted outside approved procedures could leave candidates with offers that were not recognised, despite the time, money and effort they had invested.
He said the issue extended beyond regulatory compliance to fairness, institutional credibility and universities’ responsibility to young people.
The JAMB registrar also apologised for the recent downtime of CAPS, which he said had caused disruption and anxiety among candidates, parents and institutions during a critical period in the admission cycle.
He said the platform had been restored but noted that restoring service alone was insufficient.
Aina promised medium- and long-term measures, including redundancy and business continuity arrangements, to improve the platform’s reliability.
He urged universities to work with JAMB to recover lost time, expedite outstanding admissions and adhere to approved timelines.
L.M. Faruk, chairman of the retreat, said the two-day event would feature paper presentations and discussions on regulatory compliance, partnerships, governance and leadership in the Nigerian university system.
