Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, on Thursday said “no Nigerian university has the commission’s approval to run or award degrees in Animal Science”.
The information was contained in NUC’s weekly bulletin made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
The bulletin said Okojie disclosed the information when he received a delegation from National Institute of Animal Science.
The publication stated that Okojie told the delegation that the NUC recognised only Bachelor of Agriculture as the approved programme nomenclature in Agriculture in the Nigerian university system.
He said: “B.Sc. Animal Science is unknown to NUC and the National Youth Service Corps as NUC has not granted approval to any Nigerian university to run and award degree in Animal Science.”
He then urged NIAS to urgently harmonise its programmes.
The bulletin also said that the NIAS President, Prof. Israel Adu, had earlier told the NUC boss that there had been lingering segregation among graduates of Agricultural Science.
Adu said: “Only graduates of Crop Science are given the privilege to become Agricultural Officers and also rise to the position of Permanent Secretaries and beyond in their career.
“Other graduates in the same field with professional orientation are limited to the position of Deputy Directors.”
Adu appealed to NUC to help in reconciling the disparity to avoid further segregation.
NAN.