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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday granted approval for the establishment of 12 new private universities.
The information minister, who briefed on behalf of the ministry of education, said the 12 private universities will be mentored by already existing universities in their various locations to provide recruitment of principal officers, academic, and administrative staff, availability of human and material resources for the commencement of any academic programme among others.
Justifying the approval of the universities, Mohammed explained that the country does not have enough universities to accommodate the teeming population of youths desirious for University education.
He said the Minister of State-Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba presented the memo on behalf of the National Universities Commission and it was approved by the cabinet.
He listed the benefitting states to include Kano, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto, Delta, Abia, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He said:”Council approved the memo for the issuance of provisional licences for the establishment of 12 proposed private universities.
“The proposed private universities are Pen Resource University Gombe, Gombe State, Al-Ansar Univeristy, Maiduguri, Borno State, Margaret Lawrence I=University, Delta State, Khalifa Ishaku Rabiu University Kano, Kano State, Sports University Idumuje Ugboko, Delta State, Bala Ahmed University Kano, Saisa University of Mediacla Sciences and Technology, Sokoto State, Nigerian-British University Hasa, Abia State and Peter University Acina-Onene, Anambra State as well as Newgate University, Minna, Niger State, European University of Nigeria in Duboyi, Abuja and the North-West University Sokoto.”
Asked if the strike by university unions was discussed in council, Mohammed that relevant ministries and agencies were interfacing with the striking unions like Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT) to ensure that the strikes were called off.
On why government was approving more universities when ASUU is still on strike, he said: “Can we say because ASUU is on strike, therefore we will not have new universities when we know that today 65 percent of eligible students in the universities are just roaming the streets? When we know that today, there are about 5,000 Nigerian students in Ukraine alone.
“And I think the total number of Nigerian students outside there is about 165,000. We have a population of about 200 million people and we have just about 200 universities while countries like Indonesia have about 1,200 universities. We cannot fold our hands because ASUU is on strike so will not expand our educational facilities.
“You asked me, was the issue of ASUU discussed in council? We have Ministers and departments who are full time every day dealing with the issues of ASUU and labor unrest. It is not every matter that you discuss in Council, no.
“But I can tell you no government will just sleep and pretend that ASUU is not on strike, but there is engagement is going on.”
