The executive secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, has said that promoters of private universities should see their interest in investing in the sector as their contribution in building the university sector and not for making profit.
He stated this recently when the promoters of the proposed Amadeaus University, to be located in Amizi, Abia State, visited the commission to submit a request for a second verification visit to the proposed university.
He said Nigeria had a total of 111 private universities across the regions but the nation still needed more because millions of youths who desired to earn university degree could not do so due to limited access.
“The NUC always likes to see and also encourage people who desire to give back to the society,” he added.
Prof. Rasheed stressed that the commission would continue to ensure that quality was maintained in the delivery of university education in the country.
He assured the proprietors that the number of private universities would not in any way affect the quality of the system.
“In this era of knowledge economy, it has been the goal of NUC to see that access to university education was expanded, so that the youths can be educated and contribute meaningfully t o t h e development of the country,” he said.
The lead consultant, who happened to be a former vice-chancellor of the University of Uyo and NUC visiting professor, Prof. Akanerem Essien, stated that the vision to establish the proposed Amadeaus University was well conceived and that a lot had been put in place to ensure the birth of a world-class university. He added that the university, if approved, would take off with three faculties, engineering, management sciences and sciences.
The former chairman of NUC Standing Committee on Private Universities thanked the executive secretary for the feat he had achieved within the few years of his leadership in the commission.
According to him, his records were visible for anyone to see, which included the launching of the new Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), the successful celebration of NUC at 60, the review of the quality assurance instruments as well as his sterling role in resolving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike as well as the continued drive by the Commission to license more private universities.
He assured the NUC that all the necessary things both structural and material resources had been put in place at the site of the proposed University and now await a second visit. Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS ), the successful celebration of NUC @ 60, the review of the quality assurance instruments as well as his sterling role in resolving the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike as well as the continued drive by the Commission to license more private universities.
The Chairman and Proprietor of the proposed University, Mr. Godwin Nwabunka stated that the motivation to establish the University was derived from the experience he gathered from his work at the UNICEF, where he worked extensively on Child Right and reason for drop out of school children in the country.
At UNICEF, he discovered that poverty was a major contributing factor why children dropped out of school and so decided to draw up plan to establish a University with the goal to make it entrepreneurial so as to enable students become self-reliant after graduation.
He noted that all his years traveling around the world, saw universities mould students to become self-employed after graduation and wondered why similar things could not be replicated in Nigeria.
He assured the Executive Secretary that his team would do all within its powers to ensure that they build a university that would meet the needs of the society.