Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, warned tertiary institutions against presenting borrowed staff and equipment during accreditation exercises, as the Federal Government unveiled a sweeping plan to reform quality assurance in higher education.
Dr Alausa issued the warning at the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Strengthening Accreditation and Quality Assurance Systems for Tertiary Institutions, describing current practices as deeply flawed and open to manipulation.
Also read: Woman recounts brutal rape by UK-based Nigerian jailed 17 years
The minister said institutions had, in many cases, created a misleading picture of their capabilities by temporarily assembling personnel and facilities solely to impress accreditation teams.
“An institution should not be able to prepare a temporary picture of itself simply for the purpose of an accreditation visit,” Dr Alausa said. “Sadly, this is what persists in the majority of instances.”
The proposed overhaul marks a decisive shift from periodic inspections to a continuous, technology-driven system.
The government intends to deploy digital tools such as geospatial mapping, geotagging and identity verification systems to ensure that facilities and staff presented during accreditation genuinely belong to the institution.
Under the new framework, critical equipment would carry unique digital records tied to specific locations, while academic and non-academic staff would be verified through interoperable national databases.
The approach is designed to enforce what the minister described as a “one individual, one verifiable identity” principle, reducing cases where personnel are listed across multiple institutions.
The Minister warns against fake accreditation practices at a time when Nigeria’s education sector faces mounting scrutiny over declining standards, inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent staffing.
Existing accreditation processes, typically conducted every three to five years, have long been criticised for encouraging institutions to stage-manage compliance rather than sustain it.
Dr Alausa argued that a continuous system would provide a more accurate and powerful reflection of institutional capacity.
“Technology should enable us to move from declarations to verification and from assumptions to evidence,” he said, adding that physical inspections would increasingly serve to validate already verified data.
The reform also seeks to harmonise the roles of regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education and National Commission for Colleges of Education.
A unified digital platform, described as a “single source of truth”, is expected to reduce regulatory overlap and improve coordination.
Amy Igwe, Director of Polytechnic Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, said the initiative reflects a broader commitment to safeguarding the interests of Nigerian students.
Igwe noted that the practice of borrowing resources for accreditation had persisted for years, undermining trust in the system.
The development builds on earlier federal efforts to integrate technology into education oversight, including moves to link academic records with national identity systems to curb certificate fraud.
Analysts say the success of the new accreditation model will depend on effective implementation, data integrity and cooperation among institutions.
For students and stakeholders, the reforms signal a shift towards accountability and transparency in a sector critical to national development.
Also read: Woman recounts brutal rape by UK-based Nigerian jailed 17 years
Whether the measures will fully eliminate entrenched practices remains to be seen, but the government’s latest intervention underscores a renewed determination to restore credibility to Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
