CIQG Member Spotlight: Nigeria’s National Universities Commission

The National Universities Commission (NUC) is the quality assurance agency of Government, charged with the responsibility of ensuring orderly development of university education in Nigeria. It was established in 1962 as an advisory unit in the Cabinet office of the then Prime Minister’s office and became a statutory body in 1974. The Commission superintends over the largest university system in Africa with a total of 274 universities comprising 62 federally funded, 64 universities established by the various State Governments and 148 universities established by a variety of private sector entities.

The Commission oversees and supports the development of the Nigerian higher education sector to ensure the delivery of quality education that matches the national labour needs. The NUC's functions include the approval for all academic programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and licensing of private universities. It advises the Federal and state governments on all aspects of university education and the general development of universities in Nigeria and is occasionally called upon to implement Government policies on higher education. The NUC has the statutory power to set minimum academic standards for universities and to accredit their programmes against these standards. The NUC’s programme accreditation process is a comprehensive review that aligns with international best practices. It evaluates key aspects such as curriculum design and academic content, staffing, physical facilities, library resources and availability of multidisciplinary research to ensure that Nigerian university programmes meet the required standards for excellence in higher education.

The National Universities Commission holds the distinction of being the first regulatory agency for higher education in Africa and has been instrumental in supporting the emergence of the quality assurance agencies of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia. The National Universities Commission contributes to the advancement of best practices in quality assurance at both regional and international levels. This is achieved through its membership and active engagement in organisations such as the Association of African Universities (AAU), while playing active roles in African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN), Harmonisation of African Quality Assurance and Accreditation (HAQAA) and Pan African Quality Assurance Framework (PAQAF). The NUC also has linkages with Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l’Enseignement Supérieur (CAMES), United States’ Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), United Kingdom’s Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the German DAAD, University of Sussex and University of London in an effort to expand the internationalisation profile of the Nigerian University System (NUS).

Beyond these collaborations, the Commission actively encourages professional development within the African higher education community through its Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education which has successfully trained over 5000 participants in 3 years. This is towards strengthening quality assurance in higher education. Recently, the NUC expanded its Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system to accommodate more students within the NUS. Additionally, the Commission introduced guidelines on Transnational Education, all aimed at addressing the increasing demand for higher education among Nigerian youth. In creating these guidelines, the NUC emphasised partnerships based on mutual benefit and shared responsibility. Through these principles, the Commission is committed to upholding and enhancing the quality and integrity of the Nigerian university educational ecosystem.