The Kaduna Business School (KBS) has faulted a recent list released by the National Universities Commission (NUC) tagging it (KBS) with some 57 other institutions as across the country as ‘illegal’.
The school is demanding an apology from the regulatory agency for an act it said has maligned its “hard-earned reputation.”
KBS said it has no business with the NUC as it is licensed by the Nigerian government as an Innovation Enterprise Institution (IEI) offering the National Innovation Diploma (NID) in Banking Operations.
The school’s statement followed its listing in a publication by the NUC as one of 58 illegal universities in Nigeria.
However, reacting to the school’s complaint, NUC said it was listed because the school once applied to be affiliated to the Kaduna State University to run degree programmes but the application was turned down.
In a statement by the Rector of KBS, Dahiru Sani, following the listing, KBS said its inclusion in the publication was an error based on wrong information or total ignorance about the school.
It said it it found it hard NUC engaged in a deliberate misinformation designed to mislead the public and “malign the hard-earned reputation” of the school.
“It is inexcusable for a national regulatory agency of the standing of NUC to rush to conclusion and make very questionable judgment on an issue of such great importance without empirical research, verifiable facts or authenticated proof in an exercise that clearly lacks intellectual depth,” Mr Sani said in the statement.
The rector said KBS was concerned NUC unfairly lumped it with other institutions for convenience in order to dent an outstanding school with impeccable accreditation credentials.
“As a Management Development Institution (MDI), Kaduna Business School constructively engages government and commercial organisations.
“Leaders in government as well as industry captains have come to rely on KBS for management development services. ”
The rector said the regulating body for MDIs in Nigeria is the Centre for Management Development (CMD), on the authority of the National Council for Management Development, under which KBS is duly accredited.
“As part of the reform initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Education to improve access to tertiary education and boost self-employment, the Federal Government approved the creation of Vocational Enterprise Institutions (VEIs) and Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) to provide an alternative route to higher education.
“The regulatory body for VEIs and IEIs is the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), which outlined the conditions for private institutions wanting to offer such programmes.”
He said KBS was licensed as an IEI offering the National Innovation Diploma (NID) in Banking Operations.
“KBS has no business with the NUC and does not come under its accreditation oversight. How does it come to the conclusion that it is an illegal school? We hereby demand that the NUC tenders an unreserved apology to Kaduna Business School,” the rector said.
But NUC’s director of academic planning, Bello Kumo, said the agency could not have added KBS to the list of illegal universities if the school had not tried to run a degree course.
“As a custodian of records, I remember vividly that there was a time KBS approached the Governor of Kaduna State who wrote to Kaduna State University requesting it to affiliate KBS so that they can run a degree programme. But the state university turned down the request, saying they don’t have the permission of NUC,” Mr Kumo said.
“As a matter of policy, we don’t have any business with any institution that is not offering degree or post graduate courses.
“But if the institution is offering a degree programme or venture into a collaboration with another institution to award degree, we will go after them. We know our boundaries and limit.”
According to Mr Kumo, KBS should write to draw the attention of NUC that it has been listed as “illegal” institution while it is not awarding degree or post graduate diploma and present its documents, “then NUC can delist them.
“But they should know that if they continue to award degree or post graduate diploma after the commission finally delists them, someone will apply for a job and the organisation will write to NUC for confirmation.”
He said the NUC works in collaboration with Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) on illegal institutions cases, noting that NUC laws does not allow it to carry out prosecution.
