NUC offers provisional licenses to 20 new private Universities
…As FG charges NUC on improved quality assurance mechanism
By Omoregie Tina
The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the federal government has approved, offered provisional licences to 20 new private universities while urging National University Commission(NUC) on the need to strengthen it quality assurance mechanism for an improved tertiary educational system.
Adamu made this known on Thursday in the National Universities commission Auditorium, Abuja.
Adamu who was representated by the Minister of state for Education, Hon. Chuckwuemeka Nwajiuba.
He stated “I’m delighted to be here on behave of my elder brother Malam Adamu Adamu and our president to present provisional licenses of twenty universities approved by us at federal executive council at the our meeting on the 3rd of February 2021”
He said the establishment of the new universities will help to address the issue of access to tertiary education.
He said the approval of the new institutions has now brought the number of private universities in Nigeria to 99 and a total of 197 universities nationwide.
According to him, “In relation to Nigeria population of over 200m the 197 universities are quite low when you compare to those of other countries such as Brazil with a population of 209 million and 441 universities, Mexico with a population of 156 million with over 375 universities.”
“Despite the progress being made in that area of national development, Nigeria needs more universities.”
He further charged the Universities Commission to strengthen its quality assurance mechanism so that as the number of universities increase, quality will be maintained, while advising the universities to sustain funding and proper care taken to maintain their campuses upon commencement of academic activities, the NUC scribe noted that there is a cruise inadequacies in terms of access and private universities are trying to address such issues.
Earlier The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed in his opening remarks said, ” I welcome you all to this presentation of provisional licences to 20 new private universities, approved by the federal Executive Council, at its meeting of Wednesday, 3rd February,2021, to operate in Nigeria. This is a landmark achievement for the Nigerian university System, as it is the largest cluster of new universities, since the first three were established in 1999.
“I commend the Honorable Minister of Education,Malam Adamu Adamu, for his uncommon passion for, and peerless commitment to, the development of private university education in Nigeria.”
“I commend the minister again for deploying his persuasive skills, wisdom and tremendous goodwill to secure the federal executive Council’s unconditional approval for a the 20 universities within one month of presenting the request to him by the National Universities Commission.”
He also said, ” The Nigerian system has experience a rapid expansion over the last 2 decades, from less than forty Universities in 1996 to as many as one hundred and ninety seven(197) today. Out of this number, 99, representing roughly 50.00$, are private universities.”
“The National Universities Commission (NUC) is well aware of the need for the Nation’s Universities to sustain the quality of their programmes along with the quantitative expansion. This is the reason why today’s event is coming a little over three years, after licences were issued to the last four private universities that came on board in 2019”.
The list of the newly approved private universities are; Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa-Ibom state;
Thomas Adewumi university, Oke-Irese, Kwara state; Maranatha University,Mgbidi,Imo state; Ave-Maria University,piyanko,Nasarawa State; Al-Istiqama university, Sumaila, Kano State; Mudiame University, Irrua,Edo State; Havilla University, Nde-Ikom, Cross River State; Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State.
Others are; Karl-kumm University, Vom, Plateau State; Nok University, Kachia, Kaduna state; James Hope University, Lekki, Lagos state; Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Mano, Kano State; Capital City University, Mano,Kano State; Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Kwara State; University of Offa, Offa, Kwara State; Mewar University, Masaka, Nasarawa State; Edusoko University, Bida, Niger State; Philomath University, Kuje, Abuja; Khadija University, Maijia, Jigawa State; ANAN University, Kwall, Plateau State.
