The universities in question are Ave Maria University in Piyanko, Nasarawa State, and Khadija University in Majia, Jigawa State.
After two months of investigation, the committee, led by Prof Francis Egbokhare, discovered that one of the universities had a part-time vice chancellor, while the other had a part-time dean.
The NUC initiated the investigation due to concerns that these institutions were not complying with the regulations governing their operations. The report indicated that the proprietors of the universities were interfering in their management.
The committee's report, as reviewed by the newsmen, highlighted various governance and management issues in both institutions, including observed infractions and undue interference. However, the committee also provided recommendations aimed at benefiting the universities in question and others across the country.
During the investigation, the committee found challenges related to result verification and identified significant understaffing issues in both universities. It also noted an overreliance on visiting lecturers.
According to the report, the committee observed in the course of carrying out its assignment challenge with result verification, and that both institutions were found to be “grossly understaffed as well as over dependence on visiting lecturers.”
“In addition, the committee discovered that Khadija University’s vice chancellor was a visiting lecturer, while in Ave Maria University, one of the deans was also a visiting lecturer and visits only thrice a month,” it stated...
Meanwhile, the report noted that the proprietor of Khadija University had invested a lot on structures and that Ave Maria had a lot of potential with the level of work done so far.
Rasheed had during the inauguration of the committee decried how the vice chancellors of both universities were hired and fired by their owners.
He had set up the committee to tackle the challenges of both institutions, with the mandate to find lasting solutions to the problems. He also charged them to look at the governance and operations of the two institutions and interrogate the management staff.
