Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, on Monday said only the University of Ilorin and six others have 60 per cent academic staff with Ph.D. qualification.
The NUC scribe disclosed this in Ilorin at the first International Conference of UNILORIN Postgraduate Students’ Association held at the university.
Okojie, who was represented by Prof. Akaneren Essien, the Chairman of the NUC Standing Committee on Private Universities, commended the university authorities for placing high premium on both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
He said that the last review of Nigerian universities conducted by the NUC revealed that seven out of about 118 universities in the country had 60 per cent of their academic staff with Ph.D. certificates.
The NUC boss advised the management of the university not to rest on its oars but strive to attain a minimum 80 per cent Ph.D. qualification academic staff strength.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, said that the university accords utmost priority to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The vice chancellor said that the management of the university was working round the clock to justify the school’s popular slogan: “Better By Far.”
Ambali added that the university authority’s commitment, hard work and dedication, coupled with the support of staff and students were responsible for its rating as the number one university in the country.
Earlier, the President of POGSASS, Adebola Moses, had thanked the management of the university for providing purposeful leadership to all.
Moses said that the conference was aimed at assessing the relevance of the current postgraduate training to national and global development.