The Conference of Registrars of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (CORECOEN) convened its 64th Regular Conference and General Meeting at the NCCE headquarters in Abuja with a strong emphasis on the strategic role of emotional intelligence for Registrars in institutional leadership and navigating accreditation processes.

Declaring the conference open, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Professor Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, described the theme of the event, ‘Leveraging Emotional Intelligence in Managing the Chief Executive and Navigating Accreditation Complexities for Success: The Role of the Registrar’ as timely and relevant. He noted that in today’s dynamic educational environment, the Registrar is no longer just a record keeper but a strategic partner and custodian of institutional memory. 

Prof. Okwelle stressed that where emotional intelligence is lacking, even the best administrative structures can falter, but where it is nurtured, conflict is resolved constructively and institutional harmony is sustained. He urged Registrars to complement their chief executives rather than compete with them, stating that mutual respect and collaboration are critical for effective governance.
In his keynote address, Chairman of CORECOEN, Dr. Abdulkarim Bello Norde, explained that the theme was chosen to reinforce the progress made in reducing conflicts between Registrars and chief executives across institutions. He outlined how emotional intelligence, which involves managing one's emotions and empathizing with others, has contributed to the current atmosphere of peace in many Colleges. He emphasized the Registrar’s central role in accreditation, especially institutional accreditation, and called for greater administrative preparedness and relationship management. 
Dr. Norde also highlighted the importance of resolving pending issues such as salary arrears, responsibility allowances, the review of schemes and conditions of service, and full implementation of the consolidated salary structure for Registrars, Bursars, and College Librarians. In his goodwill message, the President of the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN), Danladi Ali Msheliza, commended the Registrars for their resilience in managing delicate institutional relationships. He described Registrars as the central nervous system of Colleges, often caught between staff demands and leadership directives. He urged continued cooperation with unions, assuring that SSUCOEN’s engagements are rooted in dialogue and geared toward institutional development.

The Federal Ministry of Education (FME) was effectively represented by Dr. U.C. Uba, Director, Colleges of Education, through Mrs Ali Agnes. The FME praised the Registrars for their growing role in maintaining institutional standards. She noted that effective accreditation now requires not only regulatory compliance but emotional balance in team coordination and leadership engagement. She reaffirmed the ministry’s support in strengthening governance in teacher education. The conference also featured the presentation of a scholarly paper by Mr. Lawrence Babatunde Aremu, Director of Special Duties at NCCE, Dr Umar Adamu Kwami, Director of Academic Programme at NCCE, and Dr Abdulkarim Bello Norde, Registrar FCET Bichi, further enriching the intellectual discourse surrounding the theme.