ACADEMIC QUALITY AND STUDENTS PERFORMANCE IN THE NIGERIAN TERTIARY EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM A PRIVATE FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITY IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA (2010-2015)

The pivotal role of education as a driver of economic growth and development in any country cannot be over-emphasised. To achieve this, academic quality and students performance as intertwining variables in tertiary education must be deliberately contemplated. The absence of academic quality has obvious negative effects on students performance, which ultimately casts aspersions on the knowledge base of a society. The narrative on university education in Nigeria highlights gaps in the delivery of triad objectives of teaching, research and community impact, and this is concomitant with allegation of graduates unemployability resulting from poor training and skills deficits. It is predicated on these that this paper examines the impact of academic quality on students performance with a focus on Covenant University between 2010 and 2015. With a reliance on secondary data, backed by the descriptive analytical approach, the paper observes that Covenant University operates a departure philosophy based on its unique mission which radically altered the Nigerian tertiary educational landscape from inception. Continuous compliance with internal and external quality mechanisms and sustained infrastructural investments with excellent support services are seriously advocated.