(NUC) grants Afe Babalola University, Ekiti State (ABUAD), 8 other private universities full operational licences. As 11 private varsities failed accreditation.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted Afe Babalola University, Ekiti State (ABUAD) and eight other private universities full operational licences having met the required standards after over three years of operation.
The commission has also denied 11 other private universities full operational licences as a result of their inability to meet up with set standards, three years after they were issued provisional licenses.
The nine universities that were granted full operational licences were: Afe Babalola University, Caleb University, Salem University, Veritas University, Nigerian Turkish Nile University, Godfrey Okoye University, Fountain University, Adeleke University and Western Delta University.
NUC, accordingly, withdrew their provisional operational licences, while the permanent licenses were issued to them.
However, the 11 other private universities that were denied full operation licences were Wesley University of Science and Technology, Landmark University, Rhema University, Samuel Adegboyega University, Paul University.
Others were Oduduwa University, Tansian University, Baze University, Obong University, Achievers University and Wellspring University.
Professor Okojie explained that the provisional licence was intended to create room for effective mentoring and qualitative growth within the first three years of operation of a new private university.
During this period, Professor Okojie added that the universities were also to be monitored by NUC to ensure that they comply with the original purpose of establishment.
He said, “That was also part of NUC’s initiative for early warning signals to detect compromises in quality for the application of corrective and remedial measures to redress such situations.
“Interim accreditation was given for three years. If we don’t monitor them now, they will have problems. So they will slow down on programmes, look at their staff strength and look at their programmes.
“For accreditation, after three years, we come to see your programmes, staff and facilities, staff quality and distribution. If you go there and find all the lecturers, then governance structure. Do they have the council that’s running, the quality of staff and the number and then the general environment? If you don’t have a major crisis, we also look at it. We have the requirement of land. Are they still on a temporary site and their relationship with the host community?” he said.