NUC Completes Resource Verification for New Academic Programmes at UNIZIK

Resource Verification Teams of the National Universities Commission (NUC) have completed their assessment of the human and physical resources provided by Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, for the establishment of new academic programmes.

The teams paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, in his office on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during their visit to the University to verify the resources available for the proposed programmes following proposals submitted by the University to the Commission.

The exercise covered three areas: the proposed Departments of Criminology and Security Studies and Social Work under the Faculty of Social Sciences, to be created from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; the proposed Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics under the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology; and the Optometry Department in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.

The Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Angela Nwogor Ufele-Obiesie, introduced the three teams to the Vice-Chancellor. The respective team leads thereafter informed the Vice-Chancellor that they had completed their assignments and were ready to return to the Commission with their findings.

Speaking on the assessment of the proposed Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Bro. Mathew E. Esene said the team had verified the human and physical facilities available for the programme to ascertain their adequacy and readiness.

He commended the University for the laudable steps already taken while also identifying areas requiring further improvement.

The Team Lead for the NUC delegation that assessed the proposed Optometry Department, Prof. Doknan Danjuma Sheni, expressed appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor and the University Management for the hospitality extended to the team and the facilities provided.

Prof. Sheni commended the University’s commitment to establishing the programme, noting that the team had inspected the building dedicated to Optometry, the e-library and main library, as well as the University’s plans to procure the required equipment.

He, however, advised the University to obtain the authorised specifications from NUC for the proposed building and ensure that the required equipment was provided.

Prof. Sheni also commended the Departments of Physiology, Biochemistry and Anatomy, describing them as sound foundations upon which the Optometry programme could be built.

He further advised the University to strengthen staffing for the programme and explore opportunities for the proposed Optometry programme to become financially sustainable through the provision of clinical services.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Research and Innovation, NUC, Dr. Patrick Ukah, commended the Vice-Chancellor and the Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University for the hospitality accorded the team and the level of human and physical resources provided for the proposed departments.

According to Dr. Ukah, the team had verified the facilities and assessed the readiness of the proposed Departments of Criminology and Security Studies and Social Work to commence operations.

He added that the team had reviewed the curricula of the proposed programmes in line with NUC benchmark requirements.

Dr. Ukah explained that the findings from the exercise would be documented and submitted to the Commission, which would subsequently communicate its decision to the University regarding the proposed programmes.