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By Daniel Adaji
Former Minister of Education Professor Tunde Adeniran has endorsed a recent directive by the Federal Ministry of Education banning multiple accreditation of academic programmes by various professional bodies in Nigerian universities.
In an exclusive chat with Pointblanknews.com on Monday, Professor Adeniran, while lauding the Education Ministry’s resolve to streamline the process, said the decision is “the right step to take.”
“The minister is on course to restructure and sanitize accreditation processes with inbuilt measures to eliminate quarks,” he said.
This endorsement comes amid concerns raised by some professional bodies over the implications of the new policy, which many fear could lead to the proliferation of unqualified practitioners, also referred to as “quarks.”
The ban was confirmed in a circular dated May 20, 2025, issued by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and addressed to all vice-chancellors.
The letter partly reads:
“The National Universities Commission is in receipt of the attached letter, Ref. FME/DUE/206/T/191 and dated 9th May 2025, from the Federal Ministry of Education informing it of the Ministry’s observation of the increasing trend of multiple accreditations of academic programmes in Nigerian universities by various professional bodies, independent of the National Universities Commission.
“The Honorable Minister of Education has therefore approved that henceforth, all professional bodies shall no longer be allowed to conduct independent accreditation of academic programmes in Nigerian universities.”
The ministry of education provided waivers to seven institutions to continue their accreditation according to NUC guidelines.
These include the Council of Legal Education (CLE), Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria.