By Tunde Olofintila
It was jubilation and celebration at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, over the weekend when the news filtered in that the National Universities Commission, NUC, has granted the 15-year-old university full accreditation in 14 Undergraduate Programmes (courses) across five Colleges.
The Programmes granted full accreditation include Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Media and Communication Studies and Economics as well as Tourism and Events Management in the College of Social and Management Science, Law in the College of Law, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, Optometry and Anatomy as well as Physiology in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Doctor of Pharmacy in the College of Pharmacy and Biochemistry in the College of Sciences.
This full accreditation is in consonance with the provision of Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions) Act Cap B3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 which empowers the National Universities Commission, the Regulatory Authority for University Education in Nigeria, to lay down Minimum Academic Standards for all Academic Programmes taught in Nigerian Universities and to accredit such Programmes.
In line with the above provisions of the Act, the NUC organized the accreditation of Academic Programmes at ABUAD in October/November 2023.
In a June 6, 2024 letter to the Founder and Chancellor of the University, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, the NUC emphasized the accreditation status earned by the 14 Academic Programmes is valid for a period of five years.
Celebrating the cheering news in Ado-Ekiti, an elated Babalola said: “today marks another milestone in the history of our university. We started well. We are doing very well, and we will continue to do well with the cooperation of all stakeholders including the students, the teachers, our dear parents who believe so much in us and of course the Regulatory Bodies such as the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Health, the NUC, the MDCN, the Council for Legal Education, NSE, COREN, CIBN and ICAN among several others”.
He expressed joy at the rare accomplishment, noting that when accreditation is denied in some universities, their students usually take to the streets, rioting, but our case is pleasantly different.
Undoubtedly this encouraging news of accreditation will surely buoy and fast-track Babalola’s dream and vision to reform functional education in this clime by providing and leading others in quality education, service, industry and character as well as discipline.
Equally, his vision of establishing “a world class education Centre of Excellence in Academics, characters, sport and vocational development in order to produce sound and agile professionals and produce leaders and achievers who would be self-reliant, kind, generous, considerate and sportsman-like” has crystallized into reality, particularly with the monumental developments in the university in the last 15 years during which the university has graduated 11 sets of students since its maiden Convocation on Sunday, October 21, 2013.
Also celebrating the rare achievement, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Elisabeta Smaranda Olarinde, said full accreditation in 14 programmes is a further proof that ABUAD is indeed the Number 1 University in Nigeria as recently as enunciated by the highly respected Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
According to her, this is the more heartwarming and commendable because it is coming from the NUC, the sole Regulatory Authority for University Education in Nigeria.
Her words: “That this is coming from the NUC now when we are still celebrating our ranking by the Times Higher Education Rankings if providential. It also shows the quality of education on offer in our frontline university. This will be good news for all parents and all our well-wishers”.
* Olofintila, ABUAD’s Director of Public Affairs, writes from Ado-Ekiti.
