Nigeria’s university regulatory agency, the National Universities Commission (NUC), has approved the commencement of a law degree at the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU).
The approval for the establishment of a full-time mode of the LL.B. Law programme, to be run at the Main Campus of the University, Ikot Akpaden, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, takes effect from the 2025/2026 academic sessions.
The NUC has accordingly directed AKSU to ensure that the programme operates only with the approved title and nomenclature and that whenever any change is required, the approval of the Commission must be obtained.
“The university is enjoined to provide adequate human and material resources for the development and growth of the approved programmes in line with the provision of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) for the Nigerian University System,” the NUC stated in its approval letter to the university.
The Vice Chancellor of AKSU, Prof. Otoabasi Etim Akpan, who disclosed this in an interview in Uyo on Monday, described the NUC’s approval as a positive development for the state-owned university.
Related: Why AKSU Is Emerging As A Leading Global Research-Centric University
“I am very happy to let you know that our desire to offer law programme in our university has received the approval of the nation’s university regulatory agency, the National Universities Commission (NUC). And it is effective from this 2025/2026 academic session,” he said, beaming with a smile.
According to Prof. Akpan, the approval resulted from a resource verification visit conducted by NUC some time ago to the main campus of the university at Ikot Akpaden, Akwa Ibom State, by a panel of experts who assessed the human and material resources available for the establishment of the proposed programme.
He said the university successfully met all the requirements of the NUC during the verification visit, leading to their outright consideration to approve the commencement of a law programme in the institution.
However, the vice chancellor said the approval does not cover the part-time mode of delivery of the programme, explaining that before such is commenced, the commission has to approve based on a valid request and subsequent verification.
Prof. Akpan, a cerebral academic, reiterated that his vision and development plan for AKSU, is to make it research-centric and to consolidate the transformation of the state-owned varsity into a globally competitive institution.
While explaining why the varsity is emerging as a leading global research-centric citadel of knowledge, the vice chancellor affirmed that they have robust exchange programmes with highly rated universities worldwide.
“So right away, the vision is to develop Akwa Ibom State University to such an extent that the stakeholders, and most especially the students and graduates, will feel that, after all, even though they are educated in Nigeria at the tertiary level, they can easily compare themselves with others outside the country, and that means that we’re going to operate a research-centric university, because these days, it is research that points out what you need to do. And universities exist to solve problems. You cannot say that you know everything until you have findings from research outcomes. So for us, that’s the way to go,” he stated.
