Education
NUC permits UK varsities to operate in Nigeria
NUC permits UK varsities to operate in Nigeria
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted permission for the London Academy of Business School (LABS) in partnership with University of Sunderland, United Kingdom, to operate in Nigeria.
To that effect, their first academic session is expected to commence in January 2024 at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Abuja.
According to a statement released on Thursday, a delegation from the University of Sunderland, led by Dr Derek Watson, confirmed this after a meeting held in Abuja with the acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki.
Watson, an associate professor from the Faculty of Business Law and Tourism, assured that students in Nigeria would have the same academic standards as their counterparts in the UK, while the management, at the same time, promised to respect the environment and guidelines from the NUC.
In his words, “The meeting with the executive secretary was very productive. The University of Sunderland has over 30 years of experience.
“What we have agreed on today is the criticality of following the compliance procedures. In addition to that, we would source credible academics to deliver our programmes from LABS who are qualified teachers and also practising consultants. The students will get the same experience as those students studying in England.”
President/Director of Studies, London Academy Business School, Dr Larry Jones-Esan, explained that the visit to NUC was to get the nod to run programmes in Nigeria.
He said, “The meeting with the NUC today is for us to get the recognition that we are allowed to run the Sunderland courses in Nigeria. So, we do not need the NUC accreditation, what we need is recognition. That is very important because if we run any course in Nigeria without them recognising it, that degree is useless and they cannot do NYSC, so we do not want that to be the case.
“So for us to do that, we have to get their permission first before we go out there and start recruiting students. Otherwise, we will be shooting ourselves in the foot. If they come here and say you are doing something illegal, you will pay a fine and before you get out of that, it will be too much.”
Read Also: NUC takes action to address energy situation in universities
He stated further, “So what we have done is that we bring those people in and come in. Myself as the CEO of the London Academy Business School, make sure that we have them aware of what we are doing.
“Today is a very important day for the London Academy Business School in partnership with the University of Sunderland. We met with the executive secretary of the National University Commission and discussions went as planned, making sure that we do things right.
“One thing that came out very clear is that they want people to work with them but work in a way that they respect the authority, and respect the system and the environment.
“So we are going to make sure that everything we do follows the guidelines. We have very beautiful guidelines but if you fail to follow them, you might run into trouble. If two million people apply for university admissions every year in Nigeria and only seven hundred thousand are getting a place, that is a problem and that is a challenge. They want to solve that problem and we think we have come at the right time.
“We thank the delegates from the University of Sunderland working with the London Academy Business School in making sure that this gives results as quickly as possible.”
Earlier, the team visited the Nigerian Public Service Institute along Kubwa Road, Abuja, which is going to serve as the study centre and they were received by the administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Abdul-Ganiyu Obatayinbo.
The administrator said the environment was far better than what the University of Sunderland has in the UK, adding that the institute was saddled with the responsibility of building the capacity of public/civil servants.
He said that the institute has a 500-seat auditorium, 12 different halls of 30 seater capacity each, hostels with 202 bedrooms, a hospital, security quarters, a sports complex, entrepreneurship centre among other facilities, that would make teaching and learning conducive.
Some of the courses to be offered at the undergraduate level include computer science, business and management, and network system engineering, among others, while business administration, international business management, and education leadership, among others, will be offered at the master’s level.
NUC permits UK varsities to operate in Nigeria
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has commenced the disbursement of upkeep payments to students who successfully updated their bank account details from digital wallets to commercial bank accounts.
This was announced in a statement released on Friday in Abuja by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Fund, Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
Oluwatuyi described the development as a significant breakthrough in addressing earlier disbursement delays.
“Over 3,600 students, who previously registered with digital-only banking platforms, have now successfully received their backlog of upkeep payments after updating their details to conventional commercial bank accounts on the NELFUND portal,” she stated.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all affected students during this period. Your resilience and cooperation have made this progress possible,” she added.
The NELFUND spokesperson advised students who have yet to update their bank details to raise a support ticket via the official NELFUND portal to request access for the update.
She further urged affected students to report through the IT office of their respective institutions, which would compile and forward all related cases to NELFUND for prompt resolution.
“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that no eligible student is left behind. This resolution process is part of our broader effort to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and student-centered delivery of our support services,” she said.
Oluwatuyi encouraged students to continue engaging only through official NELFUND channels and to assist their peers who may need help navigating the update process.
She also provided contact options for inquiries, stating that the fund can be reached via email at info@nelf.gov.ng or through its official social media handles: X (formerly Twitter) @nelfund; Instagram @nelfund; and Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has issued a directive to all accredited tertiary institutions to verify and upload their students’ data on the newly digitised Student Loan Application System (SLAS).
This was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by the Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND, Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi.
According to Oluwatuyi, the SLAS platform has been fully digitised to streamline and accelerate the student loan processing experience for both institutions and applicants.
“With this upgrade, all accredited institutions are now required to request access to SLAS to verify and upload student data related to loan applications,” she said.
She described the move as “a critical step that ensures the timely processing and disbursement of approved student loans.”
Institutions that have not yet been onboarded onto the system, she said, are advised to send an access request to registration@nelf.gov.ng without delay.
“Once granted access, institutions will be able to view a real-time dashboard of their students’ loan applications, verify submitted data, and track the status of each application,” Oluwatuyi explained.
She called on all institutions to take immediate action in the interest of their students, stressing that verification and data upload by institutions are mandatory steps before final approval and disbursement of loans can be completed.
On the students’ side, Oluwatuyi noted that if an application status currently shows “Verified,” it means the application has passed initial checks. However, final approval and disbursement depend on the institutions’ confirmation and data upload.
“Once this process is completed, your status will be updated to ‘Disbursed’ when the payment of your fees has been processed,” she added.
She also encouraged students to reach out to the fund for assistance via email at info@nelf.gov.ng.
Other official communication channels include:
-
X (formerly Twitter): @nelfund
-
Instagram: @nelfund
-
Facebook & LinkedIn: Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND
The National Universities Commission, (NUC), has given full accreditation to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), for her Law programme.
According to the Public Relations Officer of ESUT, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, this is contained in a letter addressed to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius Okolie, on Wednesday in Enugu by the NUC.
Ani said that in the letter, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu said the report was contained in the result of the October/November 2024 accreditation of academic programmes in Nigerian universities.
Ani disclosed that other programmes in the institution accredited by the NUC include Master of Science in Business Management; Education Computer Science; Education Physics and Agricultural Engineering.
Other accredited programmes he said were Quantity Surveying; Urban and Regional Planning; and Applied Microbiology.
He said that the letter quoted Section 10 (1) of the Education National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions, Act CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 as empowering the NUC to lay down minimum academic standards for all academic programmes taught in Nigerian universities.
He said the session also empowers the NUC to accredit such programmes.
Tinubu arrives Katsina to receive Buhari’s body for burial
“He Never Turned His Back on the Needy” — Tributes Pour In Ahead of Buhari’s Burial
King Mohammed VI Mourns Buhari, Praises Legacy of Nigeria’s Former Leader
Facebook, Instagram Temporarily Allow Posts on Ukraine War Calling for Violence Against Invading Russians or Putin’s Death
Nigeria, Other West African Countries Facing Worst Food Crisis in 10 Years, Aid Groups Say
New York Consulate installs machines for 10-year passport
-
Headlines3 years ago
Facebook, Instagram Temporarily Allow Posts on Ukraine War Calling for Violence Against Invading Russians or Putin’s Death
-
Headlines3 years ago
Nigeria, Other West African Countries Facing Worst Food Crisis in 10 Years, Aid Groups Say
-
Foreign3 years ago
New York Consulate installs machines for 10-year passport
-
News10 months agoZero Trust Architecture in a Remote World: Securing the New Normal
-
Entertainment3 years agoPhyna emerges winner of Big Brother Naija Season 7
-
Headlines1 year agoNigeria Customs modernisation project to check extortion of traders
-
Economy1 year agoWe generated N30.2 bn revenue in three months – Kano NCS Comptroller
-
Headlines1 year agoPhilippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte resigns from Cabinet
