The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced plans to establish additional universities in Nigeria in order to improve access to higher education.
Currently, there is a significant disparity between the number of candidates seeking admission to universities (almost two million) and the number of students actually admitted (between 500,000 and 700,000).
To address this issue, the NUC’s acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, revealed that two new universities will be approved in the upcoming week, bringing the total number of universities in the country to 272. The initiative aims to provide more opportunities for students to pursue tertiary education.
His words: “We have no choice but to, as a matter of deliberate policy, undertake the massification of universities.
“You need to see the anguish and frustration on the faces of families who are desperate to make sure that their children attend university education every admission session. It is very tough and challenging for university leaders and NUC, so we have no choice but to continue to approve the universities.
“The approval for two more universities to bring the number of universities in the country to 272 has been concluded and will be announced next week.”
He also stated that Nigeria will continue to increase the number of universities in order to meet the growing demand for quality education.
Maiyaki also pointed out that countries like Brazil and Indonesia, which have smaller populations than Nigeria, have more than 1,000 universities. He mentioned that efforts are being made to revitalize the university system by allowing foreign universities to set up operations in the country.
