NUC tasks VCs on regulatory compliance, leadership as 2026 retreat opens in Abuja
By Uji A Iliyasu, Abuja
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has urged Vice Chancellors (VCs) to embrace stricter regulatory compliance, accountable leadership and stronger partnerships as it opened its 2026 Retreat with them in Abuja on Tuesday.
The two-day retreat, holding on 13 and 14 October at the Idris Abdulkadir Auditorium, is themed “Enhancing Regulatory Compliance, Partnership, Governance, and Leadership in the Nigerian University System.”
It was declared open by the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, with the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, in attendance.
Executive Secretary Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu described Vice Chancellors as frontliners in the Commission’s quality assurance drive.
He said that since assuming office on 23 December 2024, the NUC has introduced new guidelines for the award and use of honorary doctorate degrees, with sanctions for defaulting universities.
It has also begun post-matriculation monitoring and carrying capacity visits to improve admissions, and is about to introduce a post-accreditation monitoring visit.
He added that the Commission has produced Blueprint 2.0 for the Rapid Revitalisation of Nigerian University Education and is developing a 21st Century Strategic Plan. He urged universities to revive institutional strategic planning.
Research, AI and digital transformation
On research, Professor Ribadu said the NUC launched the ACE Alliance platform, uniting all 20 Africa Centres of Excellence in Nigeria, and unveiled a four-volume compendium of their research output. At the Minister’s directive, TETFund’s TERAS platform has been integrated with the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN).
The Commission is developing a National AI Roadmap and Policy Framework, establishing a Division for Research Commercialisation, and planning an international tour for select Vice Chancellors to study research commercialisation in Europe and Asia.
He said the NUC has deployed e-NUC, a platform that automates its entire workflow, and is building accreditation software to improve transparency and data management. He cautioned that digital transformation must go beyond acquiring hardware and software to include institutional readiness, capacity building and cybersecurity.
Acknowledging that inadequate funding remains a challenge, Professor Ribadu urged universities to seek partnerships with the private sector, alumni and development partners, consistent with regulatory requirements. He noted that the NUC has forged partnerships with the World Bank, Agence Française de Développement and the African Development Bank.
He stressed that the quality of leadership directly affects institutional performance, and called on Vice Chancellors to show vision, integrity, courage and accountability, and to be guided by due process.
Professor Ahmad commended the Executive Secretary for reviving the retreat tradition “after so many years,” saying its timing aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for transforming the university system.
She said the adoption of artificial intelligence must be matched by attention to academic integrity, ethics, data protection and responsible use.
She added that the challenges facing higher education cannot be solved by isolated institutional efforts or regulatory directives alone.
Describing Vice Chancellors as chief accounting officers of their institutions, the Minister urged them to prioritise transparency and accountability in finance, procurement, recruitment, promotion, admissions and examinations, and to set clear visions and measurable performance targets.
She welcomed the proposal that the retreat will end with a communiqué of agreed policy actions and institutional commitments, backed by a post-retreat monitoring and feedback mechanism, which she described as a practical roadmap for measurable improvement.
Objectives.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, L.M. Faruk, said the retreat aims to strengthen regulatory compliance and quality assurance, advance good governance and transformational leadership, and build strategic partnerships for university development.Sessions will include paper presentations, chaired discussions and deliberations on issues affecting universities.