The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, has inaugurated an 18-member Policy Development and Advisory Committee (NUC-PDAC) at the NUC Secretariat in Abuja.
The committee, chaired by Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, comprises distinguished academics and policy experts with extensive experience in higher education leadership, governance, and reform.
According to the Executive Secretary, the establishment of the committee marks a strategic step in the Commission’s ongoing efforts to reposition and strengthen the Nigerian University System (NUS) for global competitiveness, innovation, and sustainability.
The Terms of Reference for the NUC-PDAC include reviewing existing strategic documents of the Commission, developing a medium-term strategic plan for the NUC, and designing frameworks for effective implementation and progress monitoring. The committee is also tasked with advising on opportunities to strengthen the NUS, liaising with both national and international partners to foster collaboration, and proposing strategies to enhance human resource development, postgraduate training, and research excellence.
In addition, the committee will support the Commission in mobilising resources and shaping initiatives that promote growth, quality assurance, and institutional sustainability within the nation’s universities.
Professor Ribadu commended the calibre of experts appointed to the committee, expressing confidence in their capacity to generate innovative, evidence-based policy recommendations. He noted that the committee’s work would play a pivotal role in revitalising the higher education landscape in Nigeria and ensuring alignment with national development priorities.
He further emphasised that the NUC remains committed to creating an enabling policy environment for Nigerian universities to thrive, adding that the inauguration of the PDAC reflects the Commission’s renewed focus on strategic planning, reform implementation, and partnership building in the education sector.
