The Federal Government has banned tertiary institutions from borrowing lecturers, laboratories, and equipment to deceive regulatory teams during university accreditation exercises.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa announced the directive in Abuja during a committee inauguration. The ministry inaugurated the Ministerial Committee on Strengthening the Accreditation and Quality Assurance System.
Consequently, regulators will now assess universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education strictly on owned resources. Institutions must demonstrate genuine ownership and long-term sustainability.
Therefore, the ministry is overhauling quality assurance frameworks to enforce permanent standards across all tertiary institutions.
Education Ministry Demands Technology-Driven Verification
Addressing committee members, Alausa emphasized that effective university accreditation must reflect an institution’s true capacity.
Furthermore, he expressed deep concern over schools temporarily assembling external staff and borrowed facilities. Institutions often deploy these deception tactics solely to satisfy evaluation teams.
“Regulators must verify that resources actually exist and remain available after the accreditation exercise,” Alausa stated.
In addition, he charged the committee to develop a transparent, technology-driven framework. The new framework must rely entirely on independently verifiable evidence.
The minister stressed that modernizing evaluation metrics remains vital to restoring global credibility to Nigerian degrees.
Vice-Chancellors Directed to Reorganize Advancement Offices
In a related development, Alausa directed federal university vice-chancellors to relocate institutional advancement offices. They must move these units directly to the vice-chancellor’s office.
Speaking at the National University Advancement Programme Forum, he stated that moving units out of the registrar’s office will boost efficiency.
The Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) organized the forum alongside the ministry to build self-sustaining financial models.
NHEF Chairman Wale Adeosun noted that the initiative builds on two decades of philanthropic support. These ongoing efforts aim to secure long-term institutional funding across the country.
Finally, the government reaffirmed its commitment to structural reforms that promote accountability in university accreditation and administration.
Also Read: FG Pays Eight-Month Allowance to Lecturers Across Federal Tertiary Institutions
