The National Universities Commission (NUC) 2016 accreditation status report indicated that there are unaccredited courses taught in 37 out of 143 universities in the country. The unaccredited courses pose serious danger to students who study them as the certificates issued by these universities for the courses will not be officially recognised. The Quality Assurance Department of the NUC is in charge of accrediting courses in the universities. The NUC insists that for a course to be accredited, it must meet the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) that has been stipulated by the commission. Some of the requirements include: “qualified faculty members, good learning environment and adequate teaching materials – equipment, books and journals”.
According to the NUC, accreditation is necessary to ensure “employers and other members of the community that Nigerian graduates of all academic programmes have attained an acceptable level of competency in their areas of specialization.”
