Alausa Leads Discussion on Tertiary Education Accreditation

T The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has called for a sweeping reform of Nigeria’s accreditation process in tertiary institutions, describing the current system as fragmented, costly, and counterproductive.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with professional regulatory bodies held in Abuja on July 10, 2025, Dr. Alausa criticized the practice where over 25 professional bodies conduct separate accreditation visits to universities, each demanding logistics and stipends.

According to him, “Accreditation should not be a business,” as he advocated for a streamlined system coordinated by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Dr. Alausa stressed that unifying the accreditation process would reduce bureaucracy, maintain academic standards, and relieve institutions of unnecessary financial burdens.

He emphasized that the goal is to create an efficient and transparent mechanism that expands access to quality education.

Also speaking at the event, Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, highlighted how the current model overwhelms schools and often results in “artificial compliance” due to the sheer number of overlapping accreditation exercises.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Abel Enitan, expressed the Ministry’s commitment to collaborative reform.

The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, acknowledged the challenge of conflicting academic and professional benchmarks.

Supporting the reform, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, condemned the exploitation of legislative gaps in the system, calling for more rational, unified approaches.

Key resolutions from the meeting include:

Joint accreditation by the NUC and relevant professional bodies

A five-year validity for accreditations

Completion of accreditation visits within two to three days

Professional bodies to self-fund accreditation activities, with no charges to institutions

Reforms to apply across all tertiary institutions in Nigeria

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to uphold educational quality while reducing institutional burdens.