Abiodun Adeniyi, Registrar of Baze University, Abuja, has declared that the institution’s curriculum is designed to produce graduates who are change agents, easily adaptive to modern environments, to fit into the globally competitive systems
Adeniyi, speaking in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay, in Abuja, emphasized that the University is not solely focused on academic performance, but is passionate about nurturing “change agents”, graduates who possess creativity, independence, problem-solving abilities, and entrepreneurial drive”
The Registrar noted that the institution run some of the best academic programs in Nigeria, including a trimester program and a medical school with 250 bed hospital.
The Registrar while noting that these key ingredients will continue to determine and drive relevance in today’s fast-paced, knowledge-driven world.
On the issues surrounding the university’s faculty of law and its relationship with the Council of Legal Education (CLE), the Registrar clarified that the university respects all regulatory processes and has taken proactive steps to comply with the position of the Council’s directives.
The Council had on 2023, stopped the instruction from admitting new students into its law programme for five, for flaunting admission quota of 50 students per session.
But the Registrar assured that Baze’s existing law students are not affected by the moratorium on new admissions and noted that many of the institution’s law graduates have excelled at the Nigerian Law School and in professional practice.
Adeniyi also addressed concerns about the institution’s trimester system, which he described as an innovative academic program designed to accelerate students’ academic journey without compromising standards.
He compared it to similar models in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (U.S.A), emphasizing that it remains optional and is often misunderstood due to limited public familiarity with such flexible systems.
On the medical school, he described it as one of the most advanced in Africa, supported by a 250-bed teaching hospital and regulated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, which recently granted the university the go-ahead to continue its clinical training.
“It was an innovation of the vice chancellor, of course, that you can have a trimester in a year. And of course, there’s nothing, there’s no big deal if you look at it critically. If you look at the U.S. or even the UK, there’s this flexibility. The regular conventional university in Nigeria has two semesters in a year, and they rest for one whole semester.
“So, what Baze tried to do was to say, instead of that rest, why don’t you make it another semester so that you can have three semesters in a year, which we call trimester, so that you can finish your program in good time, right?
” But when there were kicks here and there, they said, okay, it’s understandable; students are free to do the regular two semesters that people are doing in conventional public universities, do your two semesters, then the other semester will remain optional.
“You know, so again, it’s not a problem, really. It’s just a problem of interpretation, misunderstanding, and all of that. If you go to the University of Birmingham, for instance, you can do a law program in two years.
” I was at the University of Leeds. I know how long it took me to do my PhD. It just depends, really. I know how long it took me to do my master’s, and some people came and did their master’s in six months. How did they do it? Six months of coursework.
“The remainder, they went back home to complete it. So these things are flexible, they are adaptable, and it is actually possible in a world of revolution in the way we do things.
Highlighting the broader role of education, Adeniyi stressed that institutions must stay adaptable to remain relevant.
“We are in a very dynamic world where knowledge is fast-paced,” he said, pointing out that Baze University invests heavily in technology, smart classrooms, and global library access to ensure students remain competitive.
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Beyond infrastructure, he noted the school’s rigorous recruitment process, which includes digital literacy testing for academic staff.
The goal, he said, is to maintain high standards and deliver teaching that aligns with international best practices.
Responding to perceptions about high costs in private universities, Adeniyi argued that such views overlook the heavy investment required to deliver quality education.
“What you pay reflects the quality you get; from infrastructure to personnel to learning tools. We are not profit-driven. We are impact-driven,” he maintained.
Adeniyi emphasized that Baze University’s vision is to train a new generation of leaders who think outside the box, adapt to global trends, and make meaningful contributions to society.
“We are not where we want to be yet, but we are marching rapidly in that direction,” he said.
