The Nigerian Government has urged universities to strengthen governance, accountability and regulatory compliance while adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to improve education quality and global competitiveness.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, made the call at the 2026 retreat of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and vice-chancellors of Nigerian universities in Abuja, themed “Enhancing Regulatory Compliance, Governance, Leadership, and Partnership in the Nigerian University System.”
Ahmad explained that university quality directly affected the country’s human capital, economic productivity, national prosperity and stability.
“I urge vice-chancellors to uphold transparency and accountability in financial management, procurement, recruitment, promotion, admissions and examinations,” she said.
She noted that rapid global changes in higher education, driven by artificial intelligence, digital learning, data analytics and evolving research and funding models, required universities to review their policies and practices to remain competitive.
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The Minister cautioned that technology adoption must be accompanied by safeguards for academic integrity, ethics, data protection and responsible use, urging institutions to develop appropriate policies to guide its application.
“In modern times, university systems all over the world are greatly being influenced by artificial intelligence, digital learning, data analytics, virtual laboratories, online academic resources, quality assurance agencies’ review, changing funding models, innovation, research and development, workforce productivity, graduate employability, and international competitiveness, amongst others,” she said.
Ahmad stressed that universities must go beyond awarding degrees to become centres of knowledge creation, research, innovation, character development and industrial transformation.
She added that stronger collaboration between the commission and university managements was necessary to ensure effective policy implementation and compliance with established standards.
The Minister tasked university leaders with establishing clear institutional visions, setting measurable performance targets and creating environments that support academic excellence.
She also called for stronger consultations between the NUC and university managements to facilitate policy dialogue, experience-sharing and collective problem-solving.
Ahmad described the retreat as timely, noting that the challenges confronting Nigerian universities could not be addressed through isolated institutional efforts or regulatory directives alone.
She urged participants to produce practical recommendations, expressing confidence that the proposed communiqué and post-retreat monitoring mechanism would provide a roadmap for measurable improvements in the university system.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, said the commission was strengthening its regulatory and quality assurance mechanisms to improve the relevance and standards of university education.
Ribadu disclosed that the commission had introduced measures, including guidelines for awarding and using honorary doctorate degrees, with sanctions for universities that violated the rules.
He also highlighted the introduction of post-matriculation monitoring and carrying-capacity visits to universities to improve admission processes.
“The commission is also preparing to introduce post-accreditation monitoring visits to strengthen oversight of academic programmes after accreditation exercises,” he said.
The NUC Executive Secretary revealed that the NUC Policy Development Strategy Committee had completed a comprehensive review and produced Blueprint 2.0 for the rapid revitalisation of Nigerian university education.
He added that the commission was developing a 21st-century strategic plan and transitioning from the Annual Performance Evaluation system to a Performance Monitoring System pioneered by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Ribadu urged universities to strengthen institutional strategic planning and ensure that research produced by their academics translated into practical solutions for national development.
He emphasised the need for stronger partnerships among universities, industry, government and other stakeholders to address challenges in agriculture, healthcare, education, technology, manufacturing and the environment.
The Executive Secretary also announced that the commission had launched the ACE Alliance platform to bring together all 20 African Centres of Excellence in Nigeria and promote collaboration on research relevant to national development.
He stated that a four-volume compendium of research outputs from the centres had been unveiled.
Ribadu further disclosed that the Tertiary Education Research and Application Services platform of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund had been integrated with the Nigerian Research and Education Network to encourage research collaboration.
On artificial intelligence, he said the commission was developing a National AI Roadmap and Policy Framework for the Nigerian University System, adding that the NUC was working to strengthen research commercialisation through a dedicated division while exploring opportunities for selected vice-chancellors to study research commercialisation practices at universities in Europe and Asia.
On digital transformation, Ribadu announced that the commission had developed and deployed e-NUC, a platform designed to automate its entire workflow.
He said the NUC was also developing accreditation software to improve transparency, data management and quality assurance across universities.
Ribadu, however, cautioned that digital transformation required more than acquiring equipment and software, stressing the need for institutional preparedness, appropriate policies, capacity building and cybersecurity.
On funding, he acknowledged that inadequate resources remained a major constraint on university development.
“I urge institutions to explore alternative funding opportunities through partnerships with the private sector, alumni associations and development partners, and ensure that such arrangements are aligned with institutional objectives and regulatory requirements,” he said.
He disclosed that the commission had established partnerships with organisations, including the World Bank, the Agence Française de Développement and the African Development Bank, to attract additional support for the university system.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Director of Research, Innovation and Information Technology at the NUC, L.M. Faruk, said the retreat was designed to strengthen relations between the commission and universities through strategic engagement with vice-chancellors.
The retreat brought together vice-chancellors of federal, state and private universities, alongside education officials, university union leaders and other stakeholders.
