As part of its efforts to strengthen academic relevance and align higher education with global trends, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear Science, Telecommunication Science and 10 other new degree programmes for Nigerian universities.

The commission announced the addition of the programmes to the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in a circular signed by the Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu addressed to all vice-chancellors.

According to the commission, experts drawn from the Nigerian university system participated in the development of the 70 per cent national component of the new programmes in March 2025.

Universities are expected to develop the remaining 30 percent institutional component in line with CCMAS provisions.

The newly approved programmes include Artificial Intelligence, Classical Christian Education, Human Kinetics with a focus on sport management, Geomatics Engineering, Community Health Science, Intelligence and Security Studies, Islamic Economics and Finance, Parasitology and Entomology, Telecommunication Science, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Cooperative Economics and Management, Nuclear Science, and Nuclear Engineering.

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By Amaechi Agbo

The Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) is planning to establish a desk office in the institution to help facilitate students visa application processes within 48 hours, particularly as it relate to US visa requirements

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie disclosed this to ESUT Monitor on Tuesday upon his return from a collaborative meeting between the US Embassy and 25 Vice-Chancellors from selected Nigerian universities held on May 12 2025.

The meeting which held at the US Embassy in Abuja, considered various channels through which students visa application to US would be made less cumbersome and friendlier in order to guarantee effective interface of educational and knowledge-based collaboration between the US and the 25 selected varsities.

The meeting which was interactive also had the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, in attendance.

Speaking with ESUT Monitor on the fallout of the meeting, Prof Okolie noted that the ESUT Management is keen to go into partnership with the US Embassy and any other government representatives within and outside the country in promoting academic excellence and interchange.

The VC who described the collaborative meeting as fruitful, said that under his watch, ESUT will continue to play crucial roles in advancing humanity

“The meeting was interactive. The position of ESUT was that we shall establish a desk office to handle all the enquiries and issues relating to visa processing for students and such issues will be handled within 48 hours.

“Of course the Executive Secretary of NUC shall coordinate the programme and ESUT will continue to play critical roles in advancing humanity even as we seek for more of such collaborations with other government representatives in the country.

“The meeting of the selected 25 Vice-Chancellors agreed on the procedures for facilitating visa processing for our students, validating both certificates and transcripts and partnering on fostering a job hunt in the US. The meeting was very productive,” he said.

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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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