BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
THE National Universities Commission has given provisional licences to 20 private universities approved recently by the Federal Executive Council.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, handed over the licences to the universities in Abuja, on Thursday.
Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, the Minister said the approval of the establishment of the universities was a testimony to the continued partnership of the Federal Government with the private sector.
He said this while charging the operators to abide by laid down standards.
Adamu noted that there was an urgent need to close the educational gap further compounded by gross inadequacy of access to university admission, noting that the additional 20 universities had brought the number of private universities in Nigeria to 99.
The Minister said to address the challenge posed by the huge population of prospective students in universities’ admission process, there was a need for establishment of more universities.
Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said the approval was a landmark achievement for Nigerian universities.
He said the commission appreciated the roles of private universities in the provision of quality university education and commended the Minister of Education for convincing the FEC to approve the universities.
Proprietor and founder of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, of James Hope University, Lekki, Lagos, assured that owners of the universities would abide by the rules and regulations establishing them.
