Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Chairman of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Board, has stated that conflicting regulatory demands from the NUC and various professional bodies are imposing heavy, avoidable costs on Nigerian universities and their students.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos noted that the lack of coordination between the primary regulator of university education and professional statutory bodies creates a redundant financial burden. This friction, he argued, forces institutions to meet multiple, sometimes divergent, standards to ensure their programmes remain accredited.
Professor Ogundipe expressed these concerns during a convocation ceremony, pointing out that the resulting expenses inevitably trickle down to the student population.
The financial burden of regulatory overlap
In the Nigerian higher education system, professional bodies such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and the Council of Legal Education maintain strict oversight of specific disciplines. While the NUC sets the minimum academic standards for all universities, these professional bodies impose additional, often more stringent, requirements for accreditation in their respective fields.
The conflict arises when the NUC’s infrastructural or staffing requirements do not align perfectly with those of the professional regulators. Consequently, universities find themselves compelled to invest in duplicate facilities or specialised staff to satisfy two different sets of criteria. This duplication of effort leads to increased administrative overheads and significantly higher accreditation fees.
For students, these institutional costs are frequently passed on through increased tuition fees and departmental levies. This occurs at a time when the cost of living in Nigeria has surged due to inflation and the removal of fuel subsidies, making tertiary education increasingly difficult to afford for many families.
The issue of regulatory synergy remains an unresolved challenge in the sector. While there have been calls for a more integrated approach to accreditation, the current landscape requires universities to navigate a complex web of overlapping mandates. Stakeholders are now looking to the Federal Ministry of Education to facilitate a harmonised framework that could reduce the cost of delivering quality, professionally-recognised education.
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