The National Universities Commission (NUC) has hinted on working with relevant stakeholders to set minimum guidelines for the conduct of convocations, special lectures, and other ceremonies by universities in Nigeria.

Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chris Maiyaki, who disclosed this to journalists, lamented the decline in the quality of these ceremonies, which constitute the hallmark of the university system.

According to him, the unique ceremonial occasions, such as matriculation, convocation, and lectures that traditionally precede them, as well as inaugural, distinguished, faculty and valedictory lectures, have not only declined in quality, but have also lost the aura for which they were once known and cherished, because of the adoption of unsavoury local mismatches.

To correct the anomaly, Maiyaki said the Commission has resolved to work with relevant stakeholders to establish the minimum guidelines for the conduct of university ceremonies. He said there was an urgent need to enthrone a legacy of good governance values, principles, standards, and best practices in tertiary institutions.

“Good governance is at the heart of the success of all organisations in the world over. It is particularly important in higher education, because a university is, in many ways, a far more complicated organisation than an ordinary institution.

“Governance in higher institutions requires an appropriate framework for accommodating a diverse group of stakeholders. Indeed, good governance informs and facilitates decision-making, which, in turn, enables a university to grow and prosper,” he said.

The NUC chief noted that it is only through accountability, transparency, and innovative strategies that a university can be sustained in the long term.