Those who think that there is undue proliferation of universities in Nigeria should hear this. The National Universities Commission, NUC, has said that only one per cent of Nigerian population forms the total enrollment of students in the 164 universities across the country.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Abubakar Rasheed, made this known while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja. According to Rasheed, the 75 private universities in the country account for about five per cent of the total enrollment in the universities across the country.
He described the situation as unhealthy, stressing the need for more access either by creating more universities or expanding existing ones. Rasheed worked out the data conclusively. He said that given a population of 198 million and the total enrolment in the 164 universities, it boils down to 1.961 million, which translates to roughly 1 per cent of the population.
Mr. Rasheed said it would be difficult for the commission to regulate the fees charged by the private schools.
In a chat with newsmen, the Director of the civil rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, urged the authorities to ensure that indirect costs do not become a barrier to access university education in Nigeria.
According to Muminu, expanding access to university education is a good thing, but the authorities must roll out strict and creative measures to ensure that quality is not compromised. He said every initiative must aim to improve quality in all universities across the country.
