Federal Government approves licences to 12 new Universities [full list]

Federal Government approves licences to 12 new Universities [full list]

The federal government has presented provisional permits to 12 new private institutions, which were approved by the Federal Executive Council at its 12th meeting of 2022 held on 6th April.

This takes the overall number of universities in Nigeria to 215, with 111 private universities.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, presented the licenses to the proprietors in Abuja on Thursday, saying that as long as there is a gap in access to university education and enrollment of students, government will continue to welcome proposals for the establishment of private universities from credible groups and organizations.

Addressing the proprietors, he said, “Your students are the primary stakeholders and proper care should also be taken to create and maintain a conducive campus environment that will enable your students cultivate critical life skills and the core values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and sound judgement.”

He did say, however, that approval for the establishment of private universities will only be given to promoters who meet the prescribed criteria, and that proper precautions will be taken to ensure that the proprietors follow through on their commitment to adhere to the established standards and requirements.

He said, “Government is committed to strengthening of NUC’s quality assurance operations to ensure that, while we are improving access to University education by way of increased enrolment, quality and relevance to national needs are not compromised.”

As key stakeholders in the education sector, he said they should work together to find ways to increase the quality of university education in Nigeria, develop strategies for quality improvement and the elimination of social vices, and promote industrial peace and harmony for long-term progress.

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, has stated that the Commission has authorized a new curriculum for universities in the country that will emphasize the individuality of each school.

He stated the new curriculum, Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), would be introduced to the public soon after a full evaluation of the current Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS).

“The CCMAS which will soon be unveiled to the public provides 70 percent of what should be taught along with the expected outcome, while the university will provide 30 percent based on their individual contextual peculiarities and characteristics,” the NUC boss said.

Even with over 200 universities, he added, access to university education remains a difficulty in the Nigerian education sector due to the high demand for degrees from an increasing number of secondary school graduates and even Polytechnics and Colleges of Education graduates.

“The journey ahead is a long one. Nigeria is thus still grossly deficient in access to the university education sub-sector, which is the highest producer of the skilled level manpower required to activate and sustain the socio-economic transformation of the country,” he said.

He stated that the private sector’s involvement in bridging the gap caused by the country’s expanding demand for university education is not, and will never be, taken for granted. He said that in the Nigerian university landscape, private universities bring a certain uniqueness.

The 12 newly -licensed universities include: Pen Resource University, Gombe, Gombe State; Al-Ansar University Maiduguri, Borno State; Proposed Margaret Lawrence University, Galilee, Delta State, and Khalifa Isiyaku Rabiu University, Kano, Kano State.

Others are Sports University, Idumuje, Ugboko, Delta State; Baba Ahmed University, Kano, Kano State; Saisa University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sokoto, Sokoto State; Nigerian British University, Asa, Abia State; Peter University, Achina/Onneh, Anambra State; Proposed Newgate University, Minna, Niger State; European University of Nigeria, Duboyi, Abuja, FCT and Northwest University, Sokoto, Sokoto State.