NUC BMAS: Varsity Don Canvasses Review of Academic Journals

Funmi Ogundare

A Professor of Accounting, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Ishola Akintoye has called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to ensure that every MSc and PhD student reviews at least 80 to 120 journal articles in accounting and allied matters, as well as identify gaps in knowledge before title approval, as part of its Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) used for accreditation of university programmes.

He said the review should be done chronologically in reverse order starting from the current year.

Akintoye, who made this known while delivering a lecture recently, said the move would position postgraduate programmes on a competitive global pedestal leading to publications in high impact journals all over the world.

“We run an integrated curriculum on the best practices all over the world. Our funding regime is not only limited to allocation from the university, but also from various grants from local and international agencies. The NUC which we are in constant touch with on our programmes should make some of these models as part of the minimum academic standard currently used for accreditation.”

He added that every MSc and PhD student is also expected to publish two to four articles in reputable indexed journals before oral examinations.

On what should be done to curb the alarming rate of corruption in the country, the don said: “To me, corruption is a state of the mind and I believe the first approach is to enlighten the mind through positive orientation about life, living and significance rather than mere relevance in value creation.

“Our orientation as a people has been centred on value relevance leading to inordinate accumulation of resources rather than being significant in the history of future making and value creation for generations yet unborn.”

The don also recommended that the NUC should ensure that ICT becomes part of Nigerian institutions’ entire curriculum from undergraduate to postgraduate level saying, “we have in place one of the best accounting laboratory with current accounting software on which our students are compulsorily trained and must pass examinations in addition to internship experiences. We are proud to say that we are online worldwide.”

Akintoye, who was invited by the former Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Kayode Makinde in December 2012 to join the team in the department for the running of MSc and PhD Accounting, described the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the federal government as a good monetary tool to address some of the economic challenges.

He advised the government to prepare adequately for the administration of every new policy so as to develop shock absorbing capacity for immediate adverse effect before stability.

He also warned against the proliferation of accountancy bodies in the country saying, “what is important is the value you are bringing to the table for the consumption of the entire populace. Every person is free to associate with any group of his choice.

“However a rational thinker should be interested in being identified with right values necessary for significance rather than relevance. I am happy to belong to ICAN, CITN and NIM for value creation in accountancy, taxation and management respectively.”