THE PROLIFERATION OF UNIVERSITIES

The indiscriminate licensing of universities is uncalled for

Even when university education in Nigeria is at a crossroads, the obsession with new tertiary institutions is not about to flag. Indeed, universities are still springing up with the rapidity of mushrooms, and impacting significantly on the quality of our graduates. But at a workshop on High Impact Research and Journal Advancement in Ado Ekiti last week, Afe Babalola, SAN, expressed deep concern at the ‘anything goes’ approach to the licensing of these academic institutions. The unrestrained approvals of new universities without due consideration for quality and infrastructure, according to the proprietor of Afe Babalola University, is impacting negatively on Nigeria’s future. We enjoin authorities in the sector to pay attention to his lamentation.

Despite the huge shortfall in budgetary allocations over the years, and in actual funding for education at both state and federal levels, the proliferation of public universities has been on the rise for decades. There is also a reckless recourse to all manner of ramshackle private universities with the sole aim of making profits. Yet, even if belated, the 2012 Needs Assessment of Nigeria’s Universities was good enough to sound a note of warning. But nobody bothered. Even the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration under which the report was published went on to establish 12 additional federal universities in states that could not fill their quota in existing universities. The take-off grant for each institution was a paltry N2 billion. The Muhammadu Buhari administration curiously built on this, creating universities for all arms of the armed forces, despite the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna which has been dutifully carrying out the task of training military officers for decades. And to boot, a Transportation University was cited in his hometown, Daura, Katsina State!

Many stakeholders are concerned that new universities are still being established with abandon, apparently yielding to the National Universities Commission (NUC) sentiment for expansion to accommodate more students seeking admission into tertiary institutions. The Bola Tinubu administration is unfortunately jumping into the train, perhaps to satisfy lawmakers and other government functionaries who crave public universities in their constituencies. Last February, President Tinubu assented to two bills establishing the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji in Osun State, and the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State. In the same month, Tinubu also approved the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET) in Ogoni town, Rivers State, in addition to that of the Federal University of Sports in Afuze, Edo State. 

Indeed, in the first three months of this year, nine new institutions have been established while other existing public tertiary institutions have been upgraded. Some eleven privately – owned universities were also licensed. In addition, there are about 200 bills before lawmakers in the National Assembly for the creation of more tertiary institutions, one of which is the Bola Tinubu Federal University of Nigerian Languages to be located in Aba, Abia State. This is despite the warning by Minister of Education Olatunji Alausa that the universities are excessive and piling pressure on the Nigerian education system.

As a result of scant attention to tertiary education in Nigeria, many of the universities are substandard, with some lacking even the basic learning facilities and infrastructure. Most of the public universities which admit about 95 per cent of all Nigerian students are nothing to write home about. They suffer from inadequate classrooms, seats and hostel accommodation for students, poorly equipped laboratories, outdated books, erratic power and poor water supply, etc. When you add understaffing and poor remunerations for lecturers, most of whom also lack the requisite qualifications, one is confronted with a system that is in crisis. 

That is not the way to compete in the knowledge world.