The newly appointed 9th Substantive Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, last Monday assumed duties with the promise to prioritise training and the welfare of staff, disclosing that in the coming weeks and months, he would be working closely with the management team to develop a comprehensive strategy for the Commission.
Professor Ribadu stated this when he received handover notes officially from the Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr Chris J Maiyaki, following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. His announcement of giving priority to staff welfare and training brought about an instant eruption of joy among the staffers who gathered inside the NUC Auditorium to give him a rousing welcome. “I wish to acknowledge your unwavering dedication and contributions to the realisation of the goals upon which NUC was established. Your hardwork and commitment have been instrumental to the commission achieving its objectives of ensuring the quality of our university education,” he said.
He also re-echoed earlier comments by the outgone Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr. Maiyaki, that the laws governing the Commission are outdated and have greatly impeded the effective operation of the Commission, especially in combating the proliferation of illegal degree mills in the country. He therefore pledged to undertake a review of the extant laws governing the Commission in order to strengthen and reposition it for better service delivery.
“I ask each and every one of you to join me on this journey of building a commission that is even more robust, efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of our various stakeholders. “On my part, I will prioritise your training and welfare. This is because of my belief that investing in your professional development and well-being will yield maximum productivity. “In the coming weeks and months, I will be working closely with the management team to develop a comprehensive strategy for the commission,” he said.
The new Executive Secretary also pledged to increase access to university education, noting that access had been a challenge, as two million candidates register for JAMB but only 500,000 get admitted into tertiary institutions annually.
“Access to university education still remains a challenge. About 2 million candidates sit for the JAMB examinations annually, but only about half a million are admitted. “Not all those who sit for the exams will have passed. Assuming a pass rate of 50 per cent, we say about 1 million candidates are qualified. “But out of that number, only about half a million are admitted into universities. Of course, a small percentage go to polytechnics and colleges of education. So, there is still a gap in the admission of candidates. “We hope to increase access by expanding existing infrastructure and resources in public universities, e- and distance education, as well as private sector growth, enhancing funding, and external support channels,” he added.
He also harped on promoting innovation and research, noting that he was fortunate to be a member of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund’s) National Research Fund Committee that monitors and evaluates the impact of research in the Nigerian University System (NUS), stressing that this collaboraton with TETFund would be more vigorously pursued even in his new position as Executive Secretary of NUC, which automatically make him a board member of the Fund.
He stated that fostering a culture of innovation and research excellence within universities was his target. “ We will encourage collaborative research projects, recognise and reward ground-breaking research and encourage establishing innovation hubs and also promote the commercialisation of research findings to benefit both the researchers and the potential end users.
Professor Ribadu noted that he had worked in the Commission as a Sabbatical and Visiting Professor at various times and is aware of the enormity of the responsibility that rests on his shoulders, expressing his readiness to work assiduously to ensure that NUC continues to play its vital role in shaping the present and future of the Nigerian University System (NUS).
The NUC boss highlighted other key areas of focus of his administration to include ensuring stability in the academic calendar, enhancing funding and external support channels, driving digitisation, and strengthening quality assurance. According to him, by focusing on these goals, I wish to recalibrate the core functions of the Commission while driving improvements in university education in Nigeria,” he said.
He reiterated optimism about the future of the National Universities Commission and the collective ability of its staff and management working with other stakeholders to effect positive change in the university education sector.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the outgone Executive Secretary of the NUC, Mr. Chris Maiyaki, described Professor Ribadu’s appointment as timely, given the Nigerian University System’s need for decisive and innovative leadership to tackle its challenges. Mr. Maiyaki called for a review of the enabling laws of the commission to allow for effective delivery of its mandate. “Many of the enabling laws of the commission are outdated and in need of legal reform. These are obstinate laws that limit the ability of an institution to adapt to new trends. “In the case of the NUC, our outdated laws impede the commission’s capacity to control the proliferation and activities of illegal degrees, unauthorised or unapproved degree-awarding institutions.”
He revealed that in the last 18 months of steering the affairs of NUC, so much has been achieved, including licensing new universities to bring the number of universities in Nigeria to 276. The outgone Acting Executive Secretary added that over 1,000 graduate and postgraduate programmes have been approved while the new Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) developed by his predecessor, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, was activated and is now being implemented in universities in Nigeria.
In his message of goodwill, the 7th Exceutive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON, congratulated the new Execuuive Sectretary on his appointment, expressing no doubt that he would do well in his new assignment, having being a part of the NUC family in the last 10 years.
Other goodwill messages came from the Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Professor Isah Hayyatou. Ciroma, SAN; the Executive Secretary, Petroleum Traning Development Fund (PTDF), Mr. Ahmed Galadimma Aminu; and the Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade M. H Ibrahim, among others.