New varsities must follow due process, says NUC

Acting Executive Secretary, National University Commission (NUC), Mr Christ Jibreel Maiyaki, has said the commission will, as a matter of policy, continue to encourage Nigerians, who can afford to establish and maintain new universities in the country.

Maiyaki spoke at the Babcock University Registry Lecture in Ilishan Remo, Ogun State.

The lecture was tagged “The Role of the Administrator in a Changing University Environment: Issues and Prospects.”

He said the commission would continue to approve universities, noting that the option to stop approving universities was not on the commission’s table for now.

He stated that early education in Nigerian universities witnessed remarkable achievements when graduates were recruited for a scale that placed them higher than their counterparts from around the world on an international scale of evaluation and their research output was highly judged impactful in solving the national, regional and global challenges.

The commission boss noted that in the past decades, Nigerian universities began to witness a disturbing decline with inadequate funding, instability, infrastructural decay and prolonged strikes by the university students, saying they were part of the impediment that militates against the growth of education in the country.

On the issue of the commission excluding private universities from accessing Tetfund grants, he affirmed that the laws establishing Tetfund prohibited private universities from accessing or benefiting from the fund, noting the situation would remain unless the law was amended by the Federal Government.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Ademola Tayo, disclosed that the lecture served as a platform for key issues about the university system to be raised and interrogated.

“It’s an opportunity for us to exchange ideas in a friendly non-threatening manner while broadening our horizons as practitioners, scholars, administrators and mostly faithful Nigerians. This lecture will stimulate all of us to do our best for our dear Nigeria”

He expressed optimism that the lecture would come up with solutions that would usher in far-reaching reforms in the university system, rejuvenate the nation and launch it to the next level.