There are indications that the Federal Government is not
perturbed by the ongoing strike embarked on by members of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, as the Federal Executive Council meeting presided
over by President Muhammadu Buhari granted approval for the establishment of 12
new private universities.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lia Mohammed, who
disclosed the information on behalf of the Ministry of Education, noted that
the 12 private universities will be mentored by already existing universities.
Beyond this, the new universities will have mentoring on
recruitment of principal officers, academic, and administrative staff,
availability of human and material resources for the commencement of any
academic programme among others.
Recall that some stakeholders in the education sector have
criticised the government at various times for the proliferation of tertiary
institutions and neglecting the old ones.
Some have also attributed the setting up of these
universities to political reasons.
But justifying the latest action, Mohammed said Nigeria
lacks adequate universities to accommodate the teeming population of youths
desirous for University education.
He noted that 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 University, Maiduguri, Borno State,
Margaret Lawrence University, Delta State, Khalifa Ishaku Rabiu University
Kano, Kano State, Sports University Idumuje Ugboko, Delta State, Bala Ahmed
University Kano, Saisa University of Medical 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.”
He gave indications that the relevant government 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) with a
view to ending the strike.
Asked to give cogent reasons the government will approve
more universities when ASUU is still on strike, he stated: “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 going on.”
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