The accreditation team of the National Universities Commission (NUC) has visited the Kaduna Campus of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), where it carried out the exercise at Kaduna Study Centre as well as the the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.

The team was led by Prof. Shehu Ado Garki and was accompanied by Prof. Shehu Ahmad Maigandi from the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto; Prof. Adeyemi L. Kinde from the Osun State University; Prof. Amuche, an Open and Distance Learning expert from the University of Abuja while Mr. A. Christopher was the embedded NUC representative. 

They first held a brief meeting at the study centre which was followed by an inspection of facilities at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, which include the grapevine garden/orchard, livestock, grow-out fish pond and hatchery room, as well as goats pen.

Other facilities inspected were the staff offices in both the study centre and the faculty, NOUN Regional Library, Course Material section and other places. 

Speaking after the exercise, the Director Kaduna Study Centre, Mr. Yusuf Abdullahi, described the exercise as a successful one as the university was fully prepared and ready for it. 

He said all facilities and other needed materials that would ensure the smooth and successful exercise were available and in good shape.  

Abdullahi added that the collective comments of the team on the library showed that it is up to standard, saying that he is optimistic that due to the level of preparedness at both the centre and the faculty the course will maintain its status of full accreditation. 

On his part, the dean of the faculty, Prof. Ahmad Njidda, explained that accreditation is another academic exercise tailored in checkmating or balancing system periodically in every five years. 

The dean said the courses have attained full accreditation status in 2018, expressing confidence that from the exit briefing the courses will still maintain status of full accreditation. 

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, according to the dean, has done everything possible to secure the accreditation with higher status of full accreditation. 

The programmes for accreditation were: Agricultural Science that is run by three departments with specialisation in Agriculture Animal Science, Agriculture Soil Science and Land Resource Management and Agric Extension and Rural Development.