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Tag: National Universities Commission (NUC)

  • NUC approves four engineering programmes for Usmanu Danfodiyo varsity

    NUC approves four engineering programmes for Usmanu Danfodiyo varsity

    Approval has been given to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto by the National Universities Commission (NUC), to commence four core engineering programmes.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru disclosed this to journalists in Sokoto on Wednesday.

    Zuru named the programmes as Civil, Electrical/Electronics, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, adding that the programmes would take off in the 2016/2017 academic session.

    He said:” This feat was achieved sequel to series of accreditation visits conducted at the institution by various teams from the commission.

    ” The routine accreditations for other programmes at the university are also ongoing.

    ” This is to ensure that all the academic programmes of the institution are being done according to the set standards.”

    According to Zuru, the exercises focused on issues such as the provision of adequate and qualified lecturers, laboratories, classrooms and equipment, among others.

    ”The exercises are ongoing and so far, so good, we are not anticipating any problem.”

    On Treasury Single Account (TSA),Zuru said that it had not hampered the activities of the university.

    He stated that the university was getting all its requests approved, saying that the initial teething problems of the system had been overcome.

    ” Hitherto, the system affected the issues of research grants and funds meant for endowments.

    ” However, these problems are now history and all is well.”

    Zuru, however, advocated more funding for the education sector at all levels in the country.

    Meanwhile, Zuru has commended the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Raji Fashola, for ensuring the commencement of the rehabilitation work on the Sokoto city to the university’s main campus road.

    ” Major works are ongoing on the bridges and culverts on the road was devastated by flood in 2010.

    ” The project, when completed, will really boost academic and socioeconomic activities in the institution and some adjoining communities.

    ”We are also appealing to the Minister to extend the similar gesture to the dilapidated internal road network at our main campus.”

  • NUC grants provisional license to eight private universities 

    NUC grants provisional license to eight private universities 

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Tuesday granted provisional licenses to the eight newly approved private universities to run degree programmes.

    Executive Secretary (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed presented the certificates to representatives of the eight universities at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

    He warned proprietors of the universities against subjecting their academic staff to degrading treatment and all forms of practices inimical to democratic freedom.

    All but one of the newly licensed universities is located in the southern part of the country, bringing the total number of universities in the country to 152.

    The ES said the NUC issued provisional licences to the universities after a rigorous assessment exercise, adding that the commission was fully satisfied of the facilities on ground in terms of human and material resources.

    He however warned that what have been issued are provisional licenses which may be withdrawn in the event of poor performance or breach of standards.

    “What is being issued today is a provisional license with a lifespan of three years. In line with global best practice, the new universities would be mentored by older ones for the next couple of years.

    “The NUC will assist these eight universities to commence new programmes to make them different in some areas from the older ones.

    “Dictatorship in the running of a university would not be tolerated and this you must avoid at all cost,” he said.

    In his address, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, said Nigeria needs more universities to increase access to tertiary education.

    According to him, the 152 universities in the country today are grossly inadequate to meet the demands of tertiary education.

    “With these 8, it means the ratio of the universities in relation to population is 1 for 23 million people, a challenge that must be addressed, considering the huge population of Nigeria conservatively put at 170 million today,” he said.

    Earlier in his remarks, Chairman, Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU), Prof. Akaneren Essien congratulated the new institutions for scaling the difficult hurdle involved in issuance of provisional licenses, noting that all eight universities are ready for students to commence their academic activities.

    According to him, the process of getting the license took between two to fourteen years, recalling with pain the death of some SCOPU members in the 2012 Dana plane crash while on assessment of four of the universities even as he prayed God to grant their souls eternal rest in peace.

    The newly licensed private universities are Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos State (owned by the Deeper Christian Life Ministry); Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Cross River State (owned by Clitter House Nigeria Limited); Clifford University, Owerrinta, Abia State (owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church); Coal City University, Enugu, Enugu State (owned by ATCOICOE Nigeria Limited).

    Others are Crown-Hill University, Eiyenkorin, Kwara State (owned by Modern Morgy and Sons Limited); Dominican University, Ibadan, Oyo State (owned by the Order of Preachers, Nigeria, Dominican Community; Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State (owned the Kola Daisi Foundation); and Legacy University, Okija, Anambra State (owned by the Good Idea Education Foundation).

     

  • NUC approves new varsity for Borno

    NUC approves new varsity for Borno

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has given approval for the establishment of a new university in Maiduguri, Borno state by the state government.
    The letter of approval for the establishment of the university was presented to the Governor of the state, Kasim Shettima by the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, at the headquarters of NUC in Abuja on Monday.
    The NUC boss said the commission was satisfied with the infrastructures put in place for the take-off of the institution.
    He expressed his appreciation to the state government for its desire and commitment to the restoration of the educational reputation and credibility of the state that had been strongly affected by the activities of Boko Haram in the past four years.
    Prof. Rasheed urged the government to shun mediocrity, promote excellence and professionalism in order to continually enjoy the support of NUC and to successfully run the institution.
    “Consequent upon the formal presentation of the relevant gazette law, Academic Brief and Physical Master Plan and satisfactory report, I write on behalf of the National Universities Commission (NUC), to inform His Excellency, that with effect from Monday 7, November 2016, Borno State University, located in Maiduguri, has been recognized
    “Boko Haram insurgents were literally expressing their ignorance and opposition to education but thanks to federal and state government’s resistance efforts that have yielded positive results,” he stated.
    In his remarks, Shettima said the new university would go a long way in tackling the menace of Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
    He said the state has planned to establish two more universities next year to bring the number of higher institutions in the state to 10.
    The newly established university, he said, would take off in January next year.
    Shettima added that the state would focus on education to restore the glory of the state through educational development.
    He said: “I know it will be a major responsibility to add a university to our too many expenditures that include ongoing reconstruction of destroyed communities, but then, if we are serious about ending Boko Haram, if we are serious about rebuilding Borno and repositioning it for the future, there is nothing like providing quality and affordable education to our teeming population of uneducated youths.
    “Borno State has been taken 50 years backwards, no thanks to the vicious Boko Haram we inherited in 2011. As we all know, hate for education is the fundamental principle of the Boko Haram. This explains why they focused so many attacks on educational institutions.
    “They regularly encourage us, without failing to tell us areas we needed to improve in the progress we have made.”
  • NUC Phases out Diploma Programmes in Universities

    NUC Phases out Diploma Programmes in Universities

    The National Universities commission (NUC) on Tuesday, says universities in the country would soon put a stop to diploma programmes run at the undergraduate level.

    The Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof.Abubakar Adamu Rasheed who disclosed this in Abuja, when he received the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Masaudu Kazaure in his office, said only polytechnics had statutory right to run diploma programmes.

    He noted that the commission would soon notify universities to stop diploma programmes.

    “We are going to formally put a deadline on it, that there should be no diploma again to be run by universities, let us allow those that are statutory, allowed to run diploma programmes, the polytechnics, to continue with them,” he said.

    Prof. Rasheed also stated that the commission would collaborate with the NBTE to develop a blueprint that would give polytechnics the capacity to run degree programmes on their own as obtainable in other countries

    Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr Kazaure, dispelled the rumours that the federal government had converted the Kaduna Polytechnic and Yaba College of Technology to City University.

  • Mafiana takes over as acting NUC boss

    Mafiana takes over as acting NUC boss

    The Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof.  Chinedu Mafiana Monday assumed duties as the Acting Executive Secretary (ES) of the Commission.

    Mr. Mafiana who joined the commission in 2003 as a visiting Prof is expected to occupy the position until the Federal Government announce a substantive ES for the Commission.

    He succeeds Prof. Julius Okojie, who had been in that position since August 2006.

    Prof. Okojie was first appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. His tenure was renewed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, terminating in August 2016.

    Okojie, at a brief handing over ceremony in Abuja, attributed his success and achievements to the collective determination and diligence of both the management and staff of the commission.

    According to him, truth, courage and conscience was at the root of his success, urging his successor to maintain those principles for continuous progress that would result in a stronger and world class University system.

    Prof. Okojie said: “There is no much secret to my success as the NUC ES than the principles that I have mentioned earlier which includes truth, courage and conscience. And most important of all was the application of the existing laws that was clearly spelt out to guide the administration and regulation of Nigerian university system.

    “We have the laws already. So all we did was to apply them where and when necessary, and we were left with no option but to achieve the expected result. Thanks to my great team that have supported me morally and otherwise.”

    In an acceptance speech, Mafiana appreciated Okojie for his selfless service, innovations and determination that resulted in obvious success that has been achieved in the past 10 years.

    He promised to always maintain the standard and benchmark set by Prof. Okojie

    Mafiana solicited the support and collaboration of other management staff as well as the media for the expected result to be achieved.

    “For the time that I will spend as the Ag Executive Secretary, I will engender an open door policy, as well as stakeholder’s engagement for a collective success of the system,” he promised.

  • NUC urges varsities to access free $4m e-content at NgREN

    NUC urges varsities to access free $4m e-content at NgREN

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has urged Nigerian universities to access the $4 million EBSCOHost e-content through the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) for free until Dec. 31.

    NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, who made the call in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said such access would enhance the online presence of universities and improve their global ranking.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that EBSCO is a multinational company and provider of research databases, e-journals, e-books and provider of academic e-libraries to schools and corporations.

    He said that NgREN was established to provide an elaborate infrastructural backbone to interconnect all Research and Education Institutions in Nigeria and link them with other Research and Education Networks (RENs) worldwide.

    “NgREN has secured access to EBSCOHost e-content-including e-books, journals, and academic magazines, which will be available for free to all Nigerian Universities until December 31, 2016.

    “These resources valued at about $4 million would, in fact, grow the number of available resources in the nation’s university libraries and as a result, heighten research activities amongst institutions in the Nigerian University System (NUS).

    “By accessing the EBSCOHost e-content, Nigerian Universities stand a better chance of enhancing their position in international university rankings just as in the accreditation of programmes, where library holdings form a major component of the assessment.

    “Universities in Nigeria are hereby encouraged to utilise these resources, which are available on the NgREN at no cost until the end of 2016,’’ he said.

    Okojie said that plans were underway to ensure that Universities on NgREN continued to access EBSCO and other e-content beyond the expiration of the current service.

    He said that EBSCO Information Services, South Africa, was one of the foremost leaders in the provision of quality research content, powerful search technologies and intuitive delivery platforms.

    According to him, the platform also offers premium content in databases, e-books, journals, magazines as well as very versatile discovery tool for searching across all library resources.

    The executive secretary said that since its formal launch in July 2014, the NgREN has made significant progress in reducing the cost of bandwidth for subscriber institutions.

    He said the cost of subscription had reduced from an initial $1,260 megabits per seconds (mbps) to $160 mbps and to a present cost estimate of $50 per mbps.

    “Some other notable achievements of the network include the reduction in travel costs as a result of the video-conferencing facilities and capacity building cost savings through online and remote training modules,’’ he said.

    He said that NUC in partnership with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors established NgREN to ensure that universities could communicate, collaborate, access and share resources across national and international boundaries.

    NAN recalls that NUC and EBSCOHost on April 12 orgainsed a Capacity Development workshop for Nigerian universities to provide training and sensitisation on access and use of EBSCO e-Book Academic Collection.

  • Okorocha seeks review of university curriculum

    Okorocha seeks review of university curriculum

    Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Wednesday urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to review tertiary education curriculum to ensure that the curriculum is directed towards solving productive problems in key sectors of the economy.

    This, the governor said, would enable young graduates  to become thoroughbred entrepreneurs and professionals  while developing their capacity to become independent in specific fields of their choice.

    Okorocha said this in Abuja on Wednesday when he received a certificate of recognition of the newly established Eastern Palm University in the State from the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie.

    He said that universities were established to focus more on human capital development and to guide students into specific professional areas.

    Okorocha said: “The Eastern Palm University would focus more on human capital development, professionalism, not a situation whereby people read a course and just end up somewhere.

    “It would ensure that people are guided along their talent into a proper profession in order to enable them serve their country. I believe that our education system must be tailored towards developing the resources of our land and not being over import dependent.”

    Earlier, Prof. Okojie urged the governor to ensure all the academic principles of running a university as spelt out by commission are adhered to by the University.

    He called on Okorocha to ensure the running of relevant programmes for the universities.

    Okojie said: “Ensure you take off well. Follow all the procedures and academic rituals and ensure all the standards are met. Eastern Palm university must ensure it it operates programmes that are relevant.

    “We must be very careful in the way we use politics to run our education in this country.”

    With the issuance of certificate of recognition, the University becomes the 42nd  state University and  the 143 University in Nigeria.