State Varsity Pro-Chancellors Reject Regulatory Interference, Faults UNIOSUN VC Tenure Extension

The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to assert stronger regulatory control over the university system and curb what it described as “growing interference by professional bodies in university administration.”

The committee also urged Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to adhere strictly to the law governing Osun State University following the two-year extension of the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure.

The resolutions were contained in a communique issued at the end of COPSUN’s 73rd quarterly meeting in Ibadan and signed by its Chairman, Professor Ayodeji Omole.

The communique urged the NUC to include representatives of relevant professional bodies in its accreditation teams, while ensuring that such teams remain under the authority of the commission.

The committee said, “The National Universities Commission (NUC), as the regulatory authority for universities, should be legally strengthened and empowered to exercise overriding authority over university administration nationwide, with the professional bodies serving only as part of the accreditation team being headed by NUC.”

It noted that reports from member universities indicated that professional regulatory bodies were increasingly interfering in university governance through overlapping activities, including resource verification, accreditation, indexing, induction and licensing.

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According to COPSUN, the development has placed significant pressure on universities and resulted in “accreditation fatigue” across the system.

On UNIOSUN, COPSUN described the reported extension as contrary to the existing legal framework and resolved to formally notify Governor Adeleke, as Visitor to the university, of its position.

It urged the governor to adhere strictly to the existing law governing the university, in line with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2012, as amended, and called on the Pro-Chancellor of the university, who is a member of the committee, to ensure compliance with the law and due process to safeguard the integrity of university governance.