Chaplaincy Services in Nigerian Public Universities: A Framework for Professional Practice

This study develops a professional practice framework for chaplaincy services in Nigerian public universities, drawing on evidence from chaplaincy operations at five federal universities across the South West, North Central, and South East geopolitical zones. University chaplaincy in Nigeria is characterised by significant variation in staffing, funding, scope of services, and integration with institutional student welfare structures, creating inequitable access to pastoral care for students. Using a mixed-methods design, data are gathered from 25 chaplains, 200 students, and 15 student affairs officers through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Operational audits of chaplaincy programmes at the selected institutions supplement primary data. Findings indicate that chaplaincies embedded within student affairs divisions, staffed by theologically and counselling-trained chaplains, and supported by institutional budgets deliver significantly better pastoral outcomes than those operating on denominational goodwill and voluntary contributions alone. A five-domain practice framework is proposed covering spiritual formation, mental health support, interfaith dialogue, academic transition support, and crisis response. The study recommends the adoption of this framework by the National Universities Commission as a benchmark for chaplaincy standards across Nigerian federal universities. Keywords: university chaplaincy, professional practice, student welfare, public universities, Nigeria