The National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted permission for the London Academy of Business School, in partnership with the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom, to operate in Nigeria.
Dr Derek Watson, an associate professor from the Faculty of Business Law at the London Academy of Business School (LAB), made this announcement following a meeting with Chris Maiyaki, the Acting Executive Secretary of the NUC, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Watson described the meeting as highly productive and highlighted the University of Sunderland’s extensive 30 years of experience in the field.
Nairametrics learnt that the inaugural academic session is scheduled to commence in January 2024 at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria in Abuja.
He emphasized that Nigerian students would receive the same high academic standards as their counterparts in the UK and assured that LAB would adhere to the NUC’s guidelines and environmental regulations.
Obatayinbo praised the institute’s environment, stating that it surpasses what the University of Sunderland has in the UK. He also emphasized the institute’s mission to enhance the capacity of public and civil servants.
What he said
Dr. Watson speaking on this movie,
- “We were the first UK university to market. What we have agreed on today is the criticality of following the compliance procedures.
- “In addition to that, we would source credible academics to deliver our programs from LABs who are qualified teachers and also practising consultants. The student will get the same experience as those students studying in England,” he said.
Also speaking, the President/Director of Studies, London Academy of Business School, LABS, Dr. Larry Jones-Esan, said that the visit was to get the operational license to establish in Nigeria and solve the Robles of lack of spaces for potential students in Nigerian universities.
- “The meeting with the NUC today is for us to get the recognition that we are allowed to run the Sunderland courses in Nigeria. So, we do not need the NUC accreditation, what we need is recognition.
- “That is very important because if we run any course in Nigeria without NUC recognizing it, that degree is useless and they cannot do NYSC, so we do not want that to be the case.
- “So, for us to do that, we have to get their permission first before we go out there and start recruiting students otherwise, we will be shooting ourselves in the foot.
- “So, we are going to make sure that everything we do follows the guidelines. We have very beautiful guidelines but if you fail to follow them you might run into trouble.
- ”If two million people apply for university admissions every year in Nigeria and only 700,000 are getting a place, that is a problem and they want to solve that problem and we think we have come at the right time.
- “This is the reason why we are here, we have gotten the license, that is recognition to run this process, which will be done within a week, and we are hopeful this will be done shortly. We will start running the university from January 2024.”
About the Institute
The Public Service Institute of Nigeria on Kubwa Road in Abuja will serve as the study centre.
The centre will have impressive facilities, including a 500-seat auditorium, twelve halls with a capacity of 30 seats each, 202 bedrooms in the hostels, a hospital, security quarters, a sports complex, an entrepreneurship centre, and other amenities that will create a conducive teaching and learning environment.
The undergraduate courses to be offered will include computer science, business, and management, and network system engineering, among others.
Meanwhile, at the master’s level, programs such as business administration, international business management, and education leadership, among others, will be available.
That’s good news. Hopefully, like Ghana, Kenya and other African countries, the UK universities will move in to operate fully and in doing so, in compliance to local operating authorities.
The statement from LABS/University of Sunderland is uncomfortably worryingly. They should not only aim to get the operational RECOGNITION but ensure LICENSING like any other universities in Nigeria
[quote] … “Dr. Larry Jones-Esan, said that the visit was to get the operational license to establish in Nigeria and solve the Robles of lack of spaces for potential students in Nigerian universities.
The meeting with the NUC today is for us to get the recognition that we are allowed to run the Sunderland courses in Nigeria. So, we do not need the NUC accreditation, what we need is recognition.” …
With this development, can NIIT computer science students who normally travel to Sunderland in the UK to do a top up for their degree do so in Nigeria from January?
Most Nigerian “students” are NOT looking to get a British university education in Nigeria. Rather, they are using British university education as a means to ‘japa’…LOL!
This is a good development in Nigeria, Sunderland is welcome to Nigeria.
Is there a provision for admissions into PhD program, if not it should be considered as matter of urgency as many Nigerians are waiting for this opportunity.