National Universities Commission
NUC
About
The National Universities Commission (NUC) is a Nigerian government agency set up to regulate higher education in Nigeria. It is currently part of the Federal Ministry of Education and operates as a parastatal, or government-owned corporation.
History
The NUC came into being as one of the recommendations of the Ashby Commission, which also recommended the creation of new federal universities. It was created by executive action in 1962 and initially placed under the Cabinet Office as a supervisory body, with the Emir of Yauri, Alhaji Tukur, as its pioneer chairman. Because it was a non-statutory body during the First Republic, its operations were hampered, but after the military came to power in 1966 it was empowered to coordinate the federal university system. In 1974 a new legislation made it a fully statutory body headed by an Executive Secretary, and over the following decades its role grew to include influence over vice-chancellor appointments, university governing councils, academic standards and course offerings. In 1999 a new democratic government granted some autonomy to university governing councils.
Key Facts
Established
1962
Executive Secretary
Abubakar Adamu Rasheed
Abbreviation
NUC