Mallam Abubakar Muhammad Girei graduated from the University of Maiduguri with a (B.Sc) Biochemistry) in 1995 and later obtained a Master of Science Degree in biochemistry from the Usumanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto in 2018.    

He joined the services of the National Universities Commission in November 1997 as Research Officer ll, in the then Department of Research and Postgraduate Development. While in the Research and Postgraduate Development Department, he gained vast experience, traversing the various administrative departments and units.

While in the then Research Department his responsibilities included coordination of postgraduate research activities in the Department as well as liaising with the universities on their programmes and was part of the team that managed the Nigerian Universities Research and Development Fair (NURESDEF), which celebrated universities research efforts and outputs through the Fairs on behalf of the Commission.   

In the course of this duty, he received extensive specialized trainings relevant to the performance of his core duties such as in areas of Team Building for Peak Performance, Basic Research Analysis and participated actively in the NURESDEF Programmme Planning and Management.  

Following his dedication and loyalty to the course of his assignments and the experience garnered, he was at some point deployed to the Academic Planning Directorate as a Chief Academic Planning Officer and later to the Directorate for Establishment of Private Universities.

He rose steadily through the ranks culminating in his promotion to the rank of Deputy Director in 2019, he was then posted to the Directorate of Establishment of Private Universities (DEPU) as Head of Academic Matters, a duty he discharged quite creditably. 

While in the Directorate of Establishment of Private Universities, he was saddled with coordination of activities and issues pertaining to Analysis of Academic Briefs of proposed Private Universities in Nigeria, until his new elevation as Acting Director, Academic Planning on the 26th of June, 2023.

 The new Acting Director Academic Planning, Mr. Girei is an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and was born at Girei in Girei LGA of Adamawa State on 13th September, 1966 and blessed with children.

• The Department of Academic Standards is a product of the recent restructuring in the NUC. It emerged out of the severance of the old Division of Facilities and Infrastructure Planning and Development and the Resource Verification Unit of the Programme Planning Division
  It is pertinent to note that the reorganisation has not markedly affected the job brief (save for the excision of the resource verification and Facilities and Infrastructure Planning and Development functions) of the Department which clearly remains the hub of the National Universities Commission given its critical functions.
  The Department is made up of the following five Divisions:
  1. Postgraduate Curriculum Development and Planning,
  2. Undergraduate Curriculum Development and Planning,
  3. Resource and Strategic Planning, and
  4. Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme.

  Auditors for regular checking of the accounts of the Commission.

Units

1. Arts and Humanities Unit
2. Science and Engineering Unit
3. Health Sciences Unit

Functions

1. Coordinating the setting of Postgraduate benchmark minimum academic standards (BMAS) for postgraduate programmes in all Nigerian universities;
2. Ensuring periodic review of PG BMAS every five years as well as constantly intimating the universities on new curriculum related policy changes and global trends;
3. Conduct of periodic Needs Assessment of Nigerian graduates with postgraduate qualification at both local and international markets;
4. Organizing workshops & seminars on curriculum development for the universities as the need arises;
5. Liaison with relevant government agencies to determine the manpower needs of the nation so as to develop benchmarks and also sensitize universities to establish programmes to meet such needs;
6. Ensuring compliance by universities with Postgraduate BMAS for the various disciplines;
7. Ensuring that the Postgraduate BMAS are made available to all departments in all the universities; and
8. Promoting the evolution of centers of excellence in postgraduate programmes in the universities.

Division is headed by Dr. Funmilayo Morebise

Units

1. Strategic Planning Unit
2. Policy Analysis Unit
3. Annual Review and Statistics Unit

Functions

1. Periodic assessment of high level manpower requirements of the country in conjunction with the appropriate Government agencies;
2. Collecting and collating data on staff, students and facilities as well as recurrent expenditure in Nigerian universities to ensure compliance with standards and submission of same for inclusion in the NUC data bank;
3. Preparing Federal universities’ Annual Recurrent Grant request to the Federal Government as input into the NUC Budget preparation process;
4. Holding the University System Annual Review Meetings with the institutions and analyzing their financial projections and plans;
5. Analyzing the actual resource utilization costs in the universities;
6. Evaluating the annual institutional performance against the approved academic plans;
7. Monitoring the state and development of universities’ libraries;
8. Supplying information on university education to Government departments, institutions and researchers;
9. Ensuring periodic review of university funding policies and making appropriate recommendations to the Federal Government.
10. Promoting the establishment and sustenance of strategic planning culture in the Nigerian University System;
11. Guiding and coordinating periodic review of University Strategic Plans;
12. Monitoring the implementation of Institutional Strategic Plans; and
13. Evaluating and monitoring the implementation of university education policies in Nigeria.

Division is headed by Mrs. Justina Emerole (Deputy Director)

Units

• Qualifications Framework Unit
• Qualifications Verification Unit
• Foreign Universities, Embassies and Internal Quality Assurance Agencies Unit

 FUNCTIONS OF QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK AND VERIFICATION DIVISION           

  The major functions of the Division are as follows:

• Provide an evaluation and advisory service consistent with approved guidelines by National Universities Commission (NUC) Management;
• Interpret foreign transcripts and placing same on equivalence using the 5-point grade scale in use in Nigerian University System;
• Safeguarding the integrity of Nigerian University System (NUS) through confirmation and verification of institutions, programmes and certificates issued by degree awarding institutions in Nigeria;
• Work in collaboration with Embassies, High Commissions and International Quality Assurance Agencies in relation to foreign degree certificates and qualification verification.
• Provide the general public with information on the approval of foreign degree awarding institutions and other evaluation services.

Division is headed by Dr (Mrs). Victoria Pillar (Deputy Director)

Units

1. Undergraduate Programme Planning Unit
2. Postgraduate Programme Planning Unit
3. Resource Verification Unit

Functions

1. Ensuring quality control for all academic programmes in the Universities;
2. Draw-up guidelines for analysing application for establishment of new academic programmes and/or units;
3. Processing applications for the establishment of academic programmes and units in the Universities;
4. Analysing Academic Briefs for master-plan development in the Universities;
5. Compiling and publishing academic development plans for all Universities;
6. Liaising with Accreditation Division to facilitate programmes accreditation;
7. Defining scope and phasing of programmes;
8. Liaising with JAMB to facilitate admission processes;
9. Liaising with NYSC to facilitate mobilization of Corps members;
10. Facilitating the introduction of innovations and new thinking in programmes establishment;
11. Processing and verifying the establishment of affiliations between Universities and other non-degree awarding institutions; and
12. Any other duty relating to programmes as may be assigned by the Executive Secretary.