FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVES FOUR NEW PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
The Minister said the new universities include: Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan, Oyo State; Trinity University, Ogun State and Westland University in Iwo, Osun State, explaining that the approvals were given because the four universities met the criteria for establishing universities following visitations by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Penpushing recalled that the National Universities Commission( NUC) had in August 2018 said it was processing over 200 applications for new private universities in the country, and with the approval, the total number of universities in the country, with over 150 million population, was 160 (40 federal universities, 45 state-owned universities and 75 private universities).
In his remark, Executive Secretary of the Commission, Abubakar Rasheed, stated that the available universities — private, federal and states could no longer cope with the large numbers of yearly applications for admission.
However, a Professor from the University of Calabar, Christine Ikpeme in her own submission noted that the idea of such a high number of private universities is good, but that they should be better regulated.
“Some private universities engage in sharp practices whereby they ‘rent’ lecturers from other institutions during accreditation processes. This is not ideal”, the Professor further emphasised
Penpushing also recalled that private universities were first licensed in Nigeria in 1999 when Babcock University, Igbinedion University and Madonna University were approved, while Bowen University- was approved in 2001 before Benson Idahosa University, Covenant University and Pan-Atlantic University were added a year later.
The number got increased with the Federal Government approving, in 2017, Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State; Spiritan University, Nneochi, Abia State; Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan; Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Atiba University, Oyo State; and Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences, Lagos, while Skyline University, Kano, was the only one licensed in 2017.
