NUC receives €3m for ICT projects,
targets reforms, global competitiveness
By Uji A Iliyasu, Abuja
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has received €3 million as the first tranche of a $40 million loan from the French Development Agency to launch major ICT upgrades in 10 selected universities.
NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, disclosed this on Wednesday during the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted 13th NUC board in Abuja.
Ribadu said the funds would drive the Commission’s ICT Blueprint Project, adding that the deposit had already been confirmed in the Central Bank of Nigeria to enable immediate commencement. He highlighted the Commission’s efforts over the past year in strengthening financial management, expanding access to university education, licensing new private universities, approving fresh programmes, and supporting the take-off of public institutions.
He noted that NUC has continued to expand open and distance learning, while maintaining robust quality assurance across the system. The 2025 accreditation is currently ongoing.
“These priorities continue to form the foundation of the Commission’s direction, and I seek your support in advancing them,” Ribadu told the Board. He assured members of full cooperation, emphasising that their expertise and networks would be crucial in guiding reforms and securing strategic partnerships across the higher education landscape.
Chairman of the Board, Emeritus Prof. Oluremi Raphael Aina, praised President Bola Tinubu for sustaining support to the university system, stressing that the Board assumes office at a time of rising global expectations.
Aina unveiled five key pillars that will guide the Board’s mandate. The first focuses on the evaluation of NUC performance, including a review of the establishing Act, amendments, vision and operational challenges, while benchmarking against global standards.
The second pillar centres on aligning NUC’s work with the Renewed Hope Agenda, especially in resolving longstanding disputes with university unions and improving digital literacy and the use of artificial intelligence in teaching, research, and administration. He said the Board is committed to driving radical improvement in both global and webometric university rankings.
The third pillar is dismantling systemic obstacles such as governance lapses, funding constraints and research stagnation.
“Our duty is to reform and make progress, not to manage decline,” he said.
Funding reform forms the fourth pillar, including exploring new sustainable funding channels and strengthening utilisation of existing resources. The fifth focuses on improving staff welfare, regulatory capacity and infrastructure to enhance accreditation and monitoring.
Aina added that the Board will fully leverage digital platforms to enhance efficiency, saying members carry “the weight of expectations and aspirations of the Nigerian people.”