By Ismail Auwal
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said that only 25 universities in Nigeria have had their courses fully accredited.
Two Kano State-owned universities have been added to the NUC’s list of institutions that have received full accreditation.
The commission also asserted that less than 70% of courses offered by the other ivory towers have been accredited.
According to the 146-page document signed by the NUC Executive Secretary, Abubakar Rasheed, none of the top-ranked universities in the country are among the 25 institutions whose courses are fully accredited.
The NUC explained that the ranking was coordinated by a team of experts drawn from the academic planning units of 91 universities.
According to the document, eight of the 113 universities scrutinized by the NUC, including the Nigeria Army University in Biu, Borno State, and the Air Force Institute of Technology, have no courses accredited by the NUC.
Nigeria today has 170 public and private universities.
According to the commission, none of the 113 universities has a full complement of professors.
In its “2021 Nigeria University system rankings” dated December 11, 2021, the NUC also rated the University of Ibadan (UI) as the country’s best with 454.56 points.
The premier university is trailed by Redeemers University (RUN) with 384.96 points; Covenant University (368.11 points); Ladoke Akintoka University, Ogbomoso (315.23 points) and Federal University of Technology Akure (264.14 points).
The 25 fully accredited universities are: Adeleke University, Osun State; Al-Qalam University, Katsina State; Caleb University, Lagos State; Chrisland University, Lagos State; Crescent University, Ogun State; Federal University, Lokoja, Federal University, Wukari, Federal University, Kashere.
Also on the list are Hallmark University, Ogun State; Hezekiah University, Imo State; Ibrahim Babangida University, Niger State; Igbinedion University, Edo State; Kano University of Science and Technology, Kano; Kebbi State University of Science and Technology; Kogi State University and Maitama Sule University, Kano State.
The others are McPherson University, Ogun State; Mountain Top University, Ogun State; Niger Delta University, Delta State; Nigeria Defence Academy; PAMO University of Medical Science, Rivers State; Rivers State University; Samuel Adegboyega University, Edo State; Summit University, Kwara State; Umaru Musa Yar’Ardua University, Katsina State.
A former NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, headed the accreditation team, it said.
According to the document, 31 universities have over 90 percent of their courses accredited; 20 have over 80 percent accredited; 11 have above 70 percent and 11 with between zero and 50 percent accredited courses.
Apart from the Nigeria Army University and Air Force Institute of Technology, the other six universities without a single accreditation are Admiralty University, Bayelsa Medical University, Dominion University, Skyline University, Spiritas University and The Technical University.
Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Taraba State University, Bukar Abba University (Yobe State University), Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye, Novena University, Federal University of Petroleum Studies, Maritime University are among those missing from the ranking.
Others include Moddibo Adama University of Technology, Yola; Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndife-Alike; Veritas University, Abuja, , Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Federal University, Gashua, Federal University, Gusau, and Federal University Kebbi.
