Theatre for Development (TfD) is a unique program that falls under the category of applied and community theatre but still faces scepticism as a curricular subject in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This research explores the influence of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) of the National Universities Commission on the manner of TfD teaching and practice in Nigerian universities and suggests a repurposed TfD curriculum responsive to local realities and digital divides. We have in this article the comparative document analysis of the course modules and the semi-structured interviews with the lecturers and students of the three universities (University of Benin, Ambrose Alli University, and Igbinedion University). Based on these three sources, the paper not only traces the continuity and divergence of the historical and pedagogical but also identifies the limitations of the CCMAS framework and evaluates how much the student-centred, participatory learning is encouraged by the current curricula. It is revealed that CCMAS standardisation ensures the promotion of uniform learning outcomes, but at the same time, it puts a limitation on institutional autonomy, lessens the emphasis on practice-orientated pedagogy, and does not sufficiently take into account digital and contextual variability. The research ends with suggestions for a TfD programme that is versatile, multi-levelled and focuses on community-based research, participatory methodologies, digital literacies and fieldwork that is sustained. The proposals are about policy revision, university curricular autonomy, and the implementation strategies to make TfD a core, practice-centred component of theatre education in Nigeria.