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By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has urged vice-chancellors of Nigerian universities to strengthen governance, accountability and regulatory compliance to improve education quality and global competitiveness.
The Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, made the call at the opening of the 2026 NUC retreat for vice-chancellors on Tuesday in Abuja.
The retreat has the theme: “Enhancing Regulatory Compliance, Partnership, Governance and Leadership in the Nigerian University System”.
Ribadu said stronger collaboration between the commission and university managements was necessary to address challenges facing the Nigerian University System (NUS) and sustain quality assurance standards.
He said vice-chancellors played critical roles in maintaining academic standards, implementing regulatory directives and promoting institutional excellence.
According to him, university leaders must demonstrate vision, integrity, transparency and accountability while ensuring that institutional decisions follow due process.
“Quality assurance in higher education is driven internally and externally, and vice-chancellors, as chairmen of their respective university senates, play critical roles either way.
“This pivotal role of the vice-chancellors underscores the essence of this retreat. Together, we must continuously work to strengthen our universities by ensuring that quality is steadily being attained, maintained and sustained.
“We must do more to translate research outcomes into practical solutions and products to address national needs,” he said.
Ribadu said universities should strengthen partnerships with industry, government, development partners and other stakeholders to translate research findings into solutions to national challenges.
He identified agriculture, health, education, technology, manufacturing and environmental sustainability as key sectors where university research could support national development.
The executive secretary said the commission had introduced initiatives to strengthen research collaboration, including the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Alliance Platform, which brings together Nigeria’s 20 ACEs.
He added that the commission had unveiled a four-volume compendium of research outputs from the centres to promote knowledge sharing and research utilisation.
Ribadu also said the commission was developing a national artificial intelligence roadmap and policy framework for the university system.
He said NUC was strengthening research commercialisation through plans to establish a dedicated division and explore international exposure opportunities for selected vice-chancellors.
On digital transformation, Ribadu said the commission had developed its eNUC platform to automate operations.
He urged universities yet to register on the platform to do so and upload their data to support planning and decision-making.
He added that the commission was developing admissions software to improve transparency, data management and quality assurance.
Ribadu, however, said digital transformation required more than acquiring technology, stressing the need for institutional readiness, capacity building, cybersecurity and appropriate policies.
He urged universities to explore innovative funding mechanisms and partnerships with the private sector, alumni associations and development agencies while complying with regulatory requirements.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said the retreat was timely, given the Federal Government’s efforts to transform the university system under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ahmad said universities were critical to knowledge creation, innovation, human capital development and economic transformation.
She urged NUC and university leaders to strengthen policy dialogue, promote good governance and ensure transparency in financial management, procurement, recruitment, admissions and other institutional processes.
“A university is much more than a place where degrees are awarded. It is a centre for knowledge creation, intellectual inquiry, research and innovation, character moulding, human capital development, and industrial transformation.
“As important instruments for national transformation, the quality of our universities has a direct bearing on the quality of our human capital, the productivity of our economy, and ultimately, the prosperity and stability of our nation.
“Our collective quest to make Nigerian universities genuinely outstanding, places significant responsibility on all of us,” she said.
The minister said the retreat should produce practical recommendations and measurable commitments to improve the quality and relevance of university education.
She expressed confidence that the deliberations would provide a roadmap for sustainable improvements across the university system.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mohammed Ibrahim, has urged the Federal Government to resolve outstanding workers’ demands to avert another strike in the university system.
Ibrahim said the union was reconsidering its position on the planned strike following the government’s recent intervention in some issues affecting university workers.
He, however, said some demands remained unresolved, including the implementation of the 2026 agreement, payment of outstanding salary arrears and withheld salaries.
According to him, the outstanding issues include arrears of the 35 per cent wage award and two months’ withheld salaries owed to members of SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU). (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Tosin Kolade
English (US) ·