The Federal Government has urged Nigerian universities to tighten compliance with admission rules and strengthen accountability, warning that weak governance and regulatory lapses could undermine academic standards.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, gave the charge in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 retreat of the National Universities Commission, attended by vice-chancellors of universities across the country.
Ahmad said the quality of university education had direct implications for national development, economic productivity and human capital growth.
She urged university administrators to ensure transparency in financial management, admissions, staff recruitment and other institutional processes, while adopting emerging technologies without compromising academic integrity.
The minister also stressed the need for universities to improve governance and comply with regulatory requirements to make Nigerian institutions more competitive internationally.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, said the commission had deployed its e-NUC platform to automate its operations and was developing accreditation software to strengthen quality assurance.
The digital initiatives are expected to improve regulatory processes and support the commission’s oversight of universities.
Similarly, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Segun Aina, acknowledged concerns over candidates admitted outside the Central Admissions Processing System, known as CAPS.
Aina appealed to universities to follow approved admission procedures and assured stakeholders that efforts were being made to improve the platform’s reliability.
The two-day retreat, themed “Enhancing Regulatory Compliance, Governance, Leadership, and Partnership in the Nigerian University System”, is expected to produce recommendations on improving institutional management, safeguarding academic standards and ensuring that legitimate admissions are properly processed and recognised.
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