NUC DISMISSES ASUU’S CLAIM ON ACCREDITATION

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has insisted its accreditation
process is transparent contrary to claims by the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
Executive Secretary of NUC Prof. Julius Okojie while addressing newsmen
in Abuja said professors who conduct accreditation exercises are
nominated by vice-chancellors or Directors of Academic Planning of
various universities and he is personally unaware of their names.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a release signed by
the University of Ibadan branch chairman of the union, Dr. Olusegun
Ajiboye, called for the scrapping or total overhaul of the National
Universities Commission (NUC).
ASUU, while calling on the National Assembly to beam its searchlight on
the activities of NUC, insisted that the commission has failed to reposition
Nigerian universities as shown by the NEEDS assessment report which
contradicted NUC’s accreditation exercises that gave a clean bill of
health to most universities.
The release titled, ‘Where Okojie got it Wrong’ said that the NUC boss,
Professor Julius Okojie cannot absolve himself from the rot in the
university system by regulating quantity instead of ensuring quality
delivery.
Dr. Ajiboye had accused Professor Okojie of allegedly using his cronies to
embark on accreditation across universities.
But Okojie yesterday said the major challenge the NUC is facing with
regards to accreditation are the professional bodies.
He said it was not the normal practice in developed societies for
professional bodies to go for accreditation of courses after the
regulatory body, adding that the problem would be resolved soon.
He said: “We ask VCs to give us professors. I do not know them or their
names. We have a data bank and we don’t want a professor to go to a
university he has worked in. We also insist that the universities inscribe
their names on the equipment.”
Okojie said in the last eight years the commission has done its best to
regulate the university system and has even challenged administrators to
ensure quality assurance.
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