It was a momentous occasion, as the Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration), National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Christopher Jibreel Maiyaki on Friday, 17th October, 2025, bowed out of the services of the Commission after 35 years of outstanding and dedicated service to the Nigeria’s higher education sector.
His retirement, marks the conclusion of a long and distinguishing career, filled with great impact in the higher education governance system. His contributions can be summed up as a service laden with dedication, professionalism, and a robust commitment to the advancement of quality university education in Nigeria.
At a solemn ceremony organized in his honour, serving as a fitting tribute to a man whose career trajectory has left an indelible mark to the entire gamut of the Nigerian University System (NUS), many personalities graced the event including the NUC community, friends and key stakeholders across the university education sector and the diplomatic community, who gathered to celebrate him.
Leading the pack of personalities in the honour’s roll for Mr. Maiyaki, the incumbent Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, FCVSN, said the retiree has dedicated the better part of his life to the services of the NUC and left an imprints in the sands of time.
Professor Ribadu reminisced that throughout his interaction with NUC as a two-time Vice-Chancellor and now as the Executive Secretary of NUC, whenever there is the need to consider requests or policy directions for new universities, Mr. Chris Maiyaki, fondly called CJ, has always displayed his institutional memory and showed constant presence steadily as a reliable force.
He noted that the retiring DES has served the Commission with remarkable dedication, having worked closely with six Executive Secretaries, which had helped to keep the NUC stable and was privileged at one point to oversee the affairs of the agency as Acting ES for 18months, running it efficiently for the period of time as can be attested to by everyone who knew him.
Professor Ribadu stated that it was not by accident that two of his predecessors were physically present to honour which is a further testament to how efficient and dedicated he is, describing his kind of administrative acumen as the type every agency needs.
In her tributes, the Honourable Minister of State for Education (HMSE), Hajia Saaid Ahmad described the celebrant Mr. Mayaki as someone so full of energy and very hard working.
She said her closeness with Mr. Maiyaki came through an introduction by the immediate past Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, mni, FNAL, and since then under one year of her appointment she has never spent a week without communicating with him and exchanging correspondences due to his vast knowledge of the education sector.
The HMSE disclosed that Mr. Chris literarily helped her to succeed in her duties, noting that his career in NUC has been very inspiring and purposeful while demonstrating a rare blend of administrative competence and political sagacity that has helped shaped some policy direction in the NUS.
Similarly, former ES NUC, Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON, said he was personally elated to have worked with CJ as popularly called, describing him as a very humble, dependable and efficient officer.
Professor Okojie paid glowing tributes to Mr. Maiyaki as someone who had maintained a close relationship with him after his exit as ES of NUC, recalling how he always check up on him and even his goodwill on the death of his wife, which he personally footed the transportation bill.
He summed up Mr. Maiyaki as an astute public servant, who has shown that public service is an honourable job.
In the same vein, immediate past ES NUC, Professor Adamu Rasheed, MFR, mni, FNAL, remarked that it was a joyous moment for him to come personally to identify with Mr. Maiyaki, who has gracefully retired upon 35years of distinguished service to the nation’s higher educational system.
He said the celebrant is one of the finest public servants he had ever being privileged to work with, describing him as an intelligent, diligent, and dependable ally.
Professor Rasheed stated that he has no doubt that Mr. Maiyaki’s journey of service to the nation is not yet over considering his wealth of experience, adding that with his intellect, character and wealth of experience he remained an invaluable asset to the country.
The Former Executive Secretary recounted that all these qualities was responsible for his recommending him to hold forth upon resignation from the NUC, pointing out that he did not disappoint by performing remarkably in the 18months of Acting as the ES of NUC and as his Deputy embodied the qualities of respect, loyalty and friendship.
A former Vice President of World Bank Africa and one time Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, noted that one thing that endeared her to Mr. Chris Maiyaki was his humaneness when she lost her mother with his presence and empathy which is what the nation’s public service lacked today, a true sense of human connection.
She recalled that the retiring DES was instrumental in drafting policies for the reforms carried out under her tenure as Minister of Education which gave meaning to her distinguishing public service.
Others, who spoke at the event described him as a man with good candour, very reliable and dependable friend and wished him well in his future endeavors.
The retiring Deputy Executive Secretary, Administration graduated, with a B.Sc (Hons) degree in International Relations from the famous Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, Master of Arts (M.A degree) in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos, Plateau State and has received several trainings (within and outside Nigeria) which pertained to International Affairs and Educational Planning, Accreditation and Quality Assurance, Partnerships and Collaboration, Procurement & project Management, Computer Application in Human Resource Management, all tailored around the specifics of Higher Education Management, Regulation and Knowledge diplomacy, among others.
Mr. Maiyaki began his public service career spanning well over 30 years ago, as a young Administrative Officer, precisely in 1990 with the Policy &Administrative arm of the Cabinet office located in the Governor’s office in Jos, Plateau State.
He, however, moved to the National Universities Commission on inter-service transfer in 1993, as Personnel/ Administrative Officer I, in 1993, where on assumption of duty was appointed the Administrative Secretary for the World Bank Project Implementation Unit based in the NUC, which oversaw the execution of the USD120m Credit facility for twenty participating federal universities.
At the expiration of the project which was adjudged to be one of the best administered in the World Bank Education portfolio in Nigeria, Mr. Maiyaki was redeployed from 1996, to work in various arms of the Commission where he has fulfilled various secondary and primary leadership function positions.
He then became Deputy Director Special Duties & Protocol and Chief of Staff to the Executive Secretary between November 2009 to October 2014, culminating to his promotion in October 2014, to the rank of a Substantive Director.
His entire work in NUC also covered participation in various Adhoc committee and panels set up to address specific problems/ challenges in the Nigerian University System pursuant to NUC’s over-arching mandate in policy formulation & implementation, general coordination ®ulation of university education in Nigeria.
He has also participated actively, in recent internationalization efforts and the promotion of bilateral cooperation between the NUC, Development Partners and diplomatic missions located in Nigeria and beyond.
Following his resourcefulness, Mr. Maiyaki coordinated the Secretariat which superintended the linkages with Experts and Academics in the Diaspora Scheme (LEADS), under which auspices, Experts and Academics of Nigerian extraction based overseas, were engaged back home in Teaching, Research and Community Action. He has also till date, continued to play an important role in the Secretariat for the implementation of the NYSC Presidential Honours Scholarship Scheme as well as the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development PRESSID).
Between 2000 and 2001, Mr. Maiyaki also served on the Secretariat of the Government Negotiating Team set up to negotiate thorny issues with the staff unions associated with the universities.
Just recently, he was part of the Adhoc Committee that developed the blueprint for open and distance learning, The Committee on A Unified Audit Manual for Universities, NUC at 51, The National Steering Committee on Open Educational Resources (OER), The Strategy Advisory Committee on the Revitalisation of University Education, The FME/NUC National Education Summit.
Other notable engagements include most of the Preparatory Activities towards UNESCO and UN General Conferences/ Assembly, International Bureau for Education, respectively and the administration of various UNESCO fellowships and regular calls for nominations by prospective scholars.
Mr. Maiyaki has developed solid organizational, managerial, negotiation and administrative skills at the NUC, where he at some point, served as the Special Assistant to the erstwhile Executive Secretary, Professor Peter Okebukola, OFR, Senior Special Assistant and subsequently Chief of Staff to the immediate past Executive Secretary, Professor Julius A Okojie, OON.
In the course of duty, he was named the Executive Secretary’s /Secretariat Best Worker of the year 2003, among several other commendation letters from NUC’s Development Partners and key stakeholders across the board.
In addition, he has over the past 15 years, successfully anchored in liaison with the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy, the International Visitor Leadership Programme for newly-appointed Vice-Chancellors who at each stage, undertook on the spot assessment of the challenges of Higher Education, in the United States of America, given that country’s large system.
He has also facilitated several study visits, meetings and conferences, aimed at improving the executive capacities of university managers in conjunction with the British Council, UNESCO, African Union, ECOWAS, Association of Commonwealth Universities, and European Union Delegation to Nigeria, Quality Assurances Agency, Oxford Academy of Education and Development as well as the Turkish Higher Education Community, among others.
Mr. Maiyaki as Chair of the Management Adhoc Committee on Legacy Document was saddled with the task to Identify and digitise Legacy Documents from the inception of the NUC.
He became Acting Executive Secretary of NUC from June 30th, 2023 to Deecember 19th, 2024, following the resignation from office of the then, Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Adamu Rasheed, a position he held for 18months and discharged himself creditably. He relinquished the post with the appointment of a substantive Executive Secretary and reverted back to his DES Administration position thereafter on 23rd December, 2025.
The retiring DES Administration is married with three children, widely travelled and speaks several international languages.