Omniversity Imperial College LLC, Missouri, USA, and Lagos, Nigeria campus, is set to reinvent Nigeria and Africa’s higher education landscape.
This is as the institution is promoting the recognition of micro credentials-based education and qualifications to widen job opportunities for economic revamp.
Professor Tokunbo Akeredolu-Ale, the President and Chairman, Board of Trustees of Omniversity Imperial College LLC, Missouri, USA, and Lagos, Nigeria, disclosed the initiative during a recent engagement with members of the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria (GPAAN), led by its President, Ayo Oyoze Baje.
In his presentations during the interactive session, which was held at the institution’s campus at Fagba, Lagos, with GPAAN members, Professor Akeredolu-Ale disclosed that Omniversity’s mission is to promote practise-based education that will make skills visible, verifiable and portable.
He emphasised that only an integrated system that combines Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL or RPL), competency based evaluations, practice oriented qualifications including micro credentials, and adoption of international quality standards such as ISO 21001 will accelerate workforce inclusion, firm productivity and regional mobility.
Advocating for the promotion, entrenchment and recognition of Practise-based qualifications, Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), Prof Akeredolu-Ale said, “We are now at a point in the country where we have to take the bull by the horns, where our theoretical baseline that we have been using thus far has gotten us only so far.
“I think it is sheer waste of time to continue in a certain line and be expecting a different results. We have tried to put academics to head some establishments and ministries that did not change anything
“So, there are certain things that just don’t hold water anymore. Can you actually analyse the quality of a PhD candidate now via a thesis? How long is it going to take me to write a thesis in the advent of artificial intelligence? You just order it.”
He emphasised the urgent need for Nigeria and the African continent, in general, to get serious and rejig the evaluation systems.
“Assessment methods have to change. Our views, where we put emphasis in terms of assessment and quality checks, have to change if we are serious about development.
Citing global examples, he said, “There are so many practical examples out there; China, Rwanda, France and others now place less emphasis on these academic papers. It’s more about practise and practicality.”
“It can’t be only one way to get to the market. There must be several routes. So, let’s try and change the narratives and do some educational innovation, some curriculum development and overhaul that will take the country to get somewhere a bit faster,” Prof Akeredolu-Ale advocated.
According to him, the focus of Omniversity Imperial College LLC, Missouri, USA and Lagos Nigeria is to shift education from paper qualifications to practical competence and real-world experience.
He disclosed that the institution has been accredited by the Lagos State Ministry of Tertiary Education and offers over 916 UKIQ UK International Certified courses, more than 100 IQA USA U.S.-based Programmes, and about 20 SDC Canada Canadian-certified skill-based and AI-driven courses.
He added, “Omniversity Imperial College LLC, Missouri, USA (LCO14564450) is the world’s first and only ISO certified private institution issuing ISO certified practice qualifications. Registered in the State of Missouri , Omniversity combined international quality standards with U.S. , Canadian, UK, and European accreditations and memberships. It redefines education for the 21st century by bridging professional practice, innovation, and academic validation, empowering leaders and innovators with qualifications that reflect real world excellence.
With headquarters in the U.S. and a regional base in Lagos, Nigeria, Omniversity delivers globally accredited, ISO certified and professionally recognised distance and correspondence based education. Its mission is to democratise access to quality learning through affordable, flexible, and transformative programmes tailored to professionals, students, and innovators worldwide.
Omniversity Imperial College LLC Missouri USA stands out as the world’s only ISO-certified tertiary institution delivering practice-based Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), Competency-Based Evaluation (CBE), and Skill-Based Qualifications (SR) — all integrated into one coherent model.
Other GPAAN members present at the interactive session includes Cami Ezenwa, lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba; Joseph Amaoru, Treasurer, GPAAN; and Stephen Aya, Financial Secretary.
