The Association of Registrars of Nigerian Universities (ARNU) has lamented the inability of the Nigerian Universities to be among the best in the world in terms of global ranking.

The association expressed this through its Chairman, Dr Bala Ahmed, who spoke at the 3rd Registrars Workshop and 77th Business Meeting held at the Kaduna State University (KASU), last week

The theme of the workshop was “University Ranking in the Face of Global Competitiveness: The Way Forward for Nigerian Universities”.

Ahmed lamented some of the daunting challenges the Nigerian University system was facing.

According to him, some of the challenges facing Nigerian universities include emerging technological trends that impact their global competitiveness in teaching, research, and innovation.

He also identified other factors that may negatively be impacting on global rankings.

Ahmed listed them to include chronic underfunding and dilapidated infrastructure, continued exodus of top academic talent, low research output and weak visibility in international academic publications.

He also identified insufficient international collaborations and institutional partnerships and disruptions in academic calendars as some of the problems.

According to him, this is due to recurring industrial actions, declining quality of student intake, as evidenced by the recent performance in JAMB examinations, among other factors.

Ahmed explained that Nigerian University Registrars convened to address ranking challenges, mitigate shortcomings, and elevate Nigerian Universities globally.

They also recognised their critical role in shaping academic policies and driving institutional excellence.

“As registrars, the custodians of university governance, records, and administrative frameworks, we must ask ourselves how we can be more intentional, strategic, and reform-oriented in steering our institutions toward greater relevance,” he said.

Ahmed also emphasised Artificial Intelligence (AI) as another evolving area of teaching and research in technologically driven countries.

He explained that contemporarily, universities and research centres around the world had incorporated the use of AI for problem solving, acknowledge acquisition, research and innovation.

This is in order to formulate alternative approaches and recommend paradigm shift for Nigerian Universities to be more visible and uncompetitive among universities within the global space.

The host registrar, Samira Balarabe, the Registrar of KASU, said the association unites administrators to learn best practices and ensure consistency nationwide.

She, however, urged government support for infrastructure and resources to keep pace with evolving education trends.

The Vice-Chancellor of KASU, Prof. Abdullahi Musa, said the institution aimed to achieve excellence by identifying its unique identity and collaborating with stakeholders including parents, industry experts, academia, and registrars.

Musa added that KASU prioritised innovation, sensitivity to community needs, with a strategic framework guiding their progress.

He said the university had achieved notably in Nigeria for being the first to offer programmes in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Supply Chain, Islamic Economics and Finance, among others.

 “For us, excellence is a core concept, extending beyond competition to impactful change, with the university’s programmes designed to address local and global challenges including poverty eradication, security, and well-being,” Musa said.

Also, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, emphasised that Registrars were the backbone of university governance.

Ribadu, represented by Adewale Bakare, Deputy Director, Corporate Services, said the workshop would provide a valuable platform for enhanced knowledge sharing, professional development and collaborations.

He urged them to develop lasting strategies to strengthen universities administrative frameworks in line with global best practices.

Ribadu assured them of the NUC’s commitment to supporting capacity-building initiatives that would promote efficient resource utilisation and enhance effective leadership in Nigeria universities.

He, therefore, urged them to actively engage in the discussions, share ideas and explore innovative solutions that would elevate the standards of Nigerian universities. (NAN)

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On the 10-13 November 2023 the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union (ASUU) lifted vacated the suspension on the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT branch following a resolution passed during the NEC meeting at Kaduna State University, Kaduna.

 This was made possible by the Chairperson of ASUU ESUT Prof. Chinedu Aguba who gave a written and oral presentation and submitted copies of apology letters, application for recall and evidence of regular payment of checkoff dues to National body as they are released by the administration.

He stated that ASUU National Officials came to ESUT without a prior notice to anyone and saw that the school was still active after the NEC meeting that was hosted in ESUT March 2020 and it was declared in that meeting that there is going to be National strike. ASUU ESUT violated and sabotaged the instruction, following their report to NEC, ASUU ESUT was suspended except the Chairperson. He also recalled the suspension of February 2014 under the leadership of Prof. Chris Nnadi for sabotaging the 2013 National Strike; the leadership was handed over to him November 2016 from being the vice Chairperson to the Acting Chairperson. Alongside his members they worked hard to bring to the end of the suspension and they succeeded on January 2017 at Bayero University in Kaduna NEC Meeting.

He also started that his heart bleeds whenever he remembers the ordeal few of them experienced just because they were enforcing the 2020 National Strike in ESUT. “I find it difficult to sleep each time I remember that some of my EXCO members stabbed me in my back by not only abandoning me as their leader during the struggle but also hobnobbing and licking the ass and feet of the former Acting Vice Chancellor of ESUT”.

He employed everyone to join hands to rebuild a formidable ASUU ESUT. He added that he has forgiven everyone that offended him and also seek the forgiveness of those he might have offended in the course of discharging his statutory duties in the past.

He expressed gratitude to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius-Micheal Okolie for his in-depth knowledge of the union who served as a veritable catalyst for the sustenance of ASUU ESUT and also restoring the remittance of the monthly checkff dues to the union. 

ASUU ESUT is now fully back to being a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) and it is hoped that the new year would be an opportunity for the members to deepen their bond and solidify their brotherhood in the struggle for a better Nigerian university system

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