There is growing worry among stakeholders in the education sector regarding the proliferation of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
This concern stems from the National Assembly’s consideration of various bills aimed at establishing approximately 32 Federal Colleges of Education, 11 Federal Colleges of Agriculture, and five Federal Polytechnics in addition to the existing institutions.
During a meeting with Reps members on December 30, 2023, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed that the Green Chamber had received and considered 962 bills, 500 motions, and 153 petitions in six months.
If these bills are approved, the number of federal-owned universities in Nigeria will increase to 99 in the near future.
Current data reveals that Nigeria already has a total of 52 federal universities, 63 state universities (with some states hosting multiple institutions), and 147 private universities.
The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has cautioned state governments against the proliferation of universities. They urged both federal and state governments to focus on improving university funding and the welfare of university staff to maintain international best practices and enhance the quality of education.
In addition, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has also expressed concerns about the establishment of universities without a proper funding framework, attributing it to the declining standard of tertiary education in the country.
ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, highlighted the detrimental impact of the government’s approach to appointment and recruitment in state-owned universities.
Dr. Kasim Umaru, the ASUU Chairman at UniAbuja, expressed apprehension over the sponsorship of bills by National Assembly members to create more universities, describing them as “constituency project universities.” He emphasized the need to prioritize the existing universities’ funding over creating new ones to address the issue of poor remuneration and staff retention.
Umaru urged the government to prohibit the establishment of new public universities and impose conditions on state governments to prove their financial capability to run a university independently before accessing funds from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
ASUU also called for the amendment of the National Universities Commission Act to prevent governors from haphazardly establishing new universities without adequate funding, a sentiment echoed by Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, the Chairman of ASUU at the Federal University of Minna, who criticized the lawmakers for their misplaced priorities.