NUC grants Cosmopolitan University Abuja permanent licence after a three-year review, while warning the institution to maintain academic standards
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted Cosmopolitan University, Abuja, a permanent operational licence after a three-year probationary review, with Executive Secretary Professor Abdullahi Ribadu urging the institution to maintain academic standards during a presentation at the commission’s headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
The decision marks a significant regulatory milestone for the private university, which began operating under an initial licence issued on 15 May 2023.
The latest approval follows a period in which the NUC assessed the institution’s academic processes, staffing, student population and wider administrative arrangements.
Presenting the licence to the university’s leadership, Ribadu explained that the probationary period was intended to establish whether newly licensed institutions had met the conditions required for continued operation.
He said the review was not a formality, noting that the commission could recommend a permanent licence or withdraw an institution’s existing approval if its operations failed to meet the required benchmarks.
“A committee went to verify your processes, your students, your staff and everything,” Ribadu said. “The idea was either to recommend a full licence for you or withdraw the existing one because something has to happen after three years.”
The executive secretary added that not every university reviewed during the same period received permanent approval immediately.
Some institutions were granted an additional year to address identified shortcomings, underscoring the commission’s emphasis on regulatory compliance.
For Cosmopolitan University, the outcome provides formal confirmation that the institution has satisfied the requirements necessary to secure permanent operational approval.
It also places renewed responsibility on its management to sustain the standards assessed during the review.
Ribadu warned the university against treating the licence as the end of its regulatory obligations, particularly in relation to academic staffing and student admissions.
“You now have to build on the structures that you have started, which means in terms of quality, you should not compromise in terms of recruitment of staff, and number of students,” he said.
The warning highlights two areas central to university quality assurance.
Academic institutions need appropriately qualified staff to deliver teaching and research, while student enrolment must remain consistent with available facilities, teaching capacity and approved programmes.
For a growing private university, maintaining that balance can be important as it expands its courses and attracts more students. Permanent licensing does not remove the need for continuing oversight, periodic evaluation or compliance with national standards.
Cosmopolitan University Vice-Chancellor Professor Carl Adams welcomed the decision, describing it as an important moment in the institution’s development.
In a statement issued on Friday, 16 October, Adams said the approval reflected the processes the university had established to support quality education and transparent administration.
“This is a recognition of the quality processes and transparency processes that we have put in place to develop quality education for our students,” Adams said.
He added that the licence confirmed the institution’s progress towards its academic objectives and its effort to draw on educational practices from different systems.
“We build on the best practices in the UK, in the states and of course in Nigeria,” Adams said.
The university’s initial operational licence was issued in May 2023 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval formed part of a wider expansion of private university provision in Nigeria, as policymakers and education providers sought to increase access to tertiary education.
The expansion has also placed greater importance on regulation.
While additional institutions can create more opportunities for students, their long-term credibility depends on adequate teaching facilities, qualified lecturers, transparent governance and programmes that meet national requirements.
The NUC is responsible for regulating university education in Nigeria, including the licensing of private universities and the monitoring of academic standards across the sector.
Its oversight is intended to ensure that institutions meet the conditions under which they are authorised to operate.
The commission’s decision on Cosmopolitan University therefore represents both an institutional achievement and a continuing commitment to regulatory accountability.
The licence presentation comes amid wider scrutiny of university governance and compliance.
At a 2026 NUC retreat for vice-chancellors, Ribadu disclosed that two universities had been sanctioned for serious violations of rules governing the award of honorary doctorate degrees. The institutions were not named in the report.
That separate action illustrates the range of issues covered by university regulation, from operational licensing and academic provision to the integrity of institutional awards.
For students and prospective applicants, the permanent licence is a relevant development in understanding the university’s regulatory status.
However, it should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every course, qualification or individual programme without checking the relevant approval details.
The institution’s next challenge will be to demonstrate that the standards assessed during the probationary period remain embedded in everyday academic and administrative practice.
This will require sustained attention to recruitment, student numbers, teaching quality, infrastructure and transparent management.
The NUC has made clear that permanent approval carries ongoing obligations rather than an exemption from scrutiny.
For Cosmopolitan University, the new licence provides a foundation for further development, while the responsibility to maintain academic quality remains central to its future.
