NUC disowns Maryam Abacha American University in Niger

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has warned that degrees obtained from Maryam Abacha American University of Niger Republic (MAAUN) are sub-standard and will not be accepted in Nigeria.
The NUC Director of Information and Public Relations, Malam Ibrahim Yakasai, handed down the warning while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, NUC has been inundated with inquiries from some Nigerian students who have been offered admission in MAAUN on part time with a graduation time of four semesters.
He listed some of the programmes as Nursing , Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, among others.
He explained that ``in Nigeria, the duration for a full-time degree programme is not less than three years for direct entry and at least six years for part-time.
``Professional programmes in Science, Engineering and Health Sciences-Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and Public Health are not offered on part-time basis in Nigeria.
``More so, their graduation time is far less than the graduation time in Nigeria-they admit students with HND on direct entry and they give them two years to do a degree in Nursing or Health Sciences.
``We wish to restate that as the only Quality Assurance Agency for universities in Nigeria, NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from MAAUN will not be accepted in Nigeria.’’
Yakasai said that the university admitted students who ordinarily would not get admission in any Nigerian tertiary institution.
He expressed displeasure that rather than addressing the issues raised by NUC, MAAUN resorted to campaign of calumny against the commission.
The NUC spokesman advised parents to always crosscheck with the commission before sending their wards to foreign institutions.
On his part, the NUC Director of Academic Standards, Dr Gidado kumo, urged students to be wary of Houdegbe North American University, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
According to him, Houdegbe is one of the controversial universities that have been having issues with NUC in the last four years.
He said that the institution was once operating in Badagry and Kano and then relocated to Jos; but was recently running Bachelors Degree in Public Health in Gombe State.
``We have made it very clear that any degree obtained in Houdegbe North University within the shores of Nigeria is not accepted.
``In Feburay 2015, we had cause to request for a joint assessment visit to the university with the Council for Legal Education.
``At the moment, the institution has been graduating over 600 students from its law faculty whereas in Nigeria, the highest output from any law faculty is about 200.
``We requested a joint accreditation visit but we were flatly refused by Houdegbe North American University.
`` So, our decision is that no law graduate of Houdegbe University will be moblised for the BL programme with the Council for Legal Education.’’
However, Gidado said that any degree obtained in Houdebge North University within Benin Republic was acceptable if it met appropriate conditions.
He listed the conditions as `` the degree programme must be full time, fully residential and evidence of residence permit at the time of programme must be available at the time of graduation.’’