The Nigerian Senate and the National Universities Commission, NUC, have underlined the need to build additional universities in Nigeria to meet the increased demand for tertiary education.
This call was made during a public hearing in Abuja on Monday convened by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and the TETFund, at which stakeholders expressed support for the planned Federal University, Okigwe, in Imo State.
Senator Muntari Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund; Senator Patrick Ndubueze, Sponsor of the Federal University Okigwe bill; and Mr Chris Maiyaki, Executive Secretary of the NUC, all spoke at the hearing, emphasising Nigeria’s urgent need for more universities.
Maiyaki emphasised the critical gap in Nigeria’s higher education infrastructure.
He stated: “There are 275 universities, both public and private, available for over 2 million prospective students seeking admission annually. The implication is that just 500,000 to 700,000 students are admitted each year, leaving approximately 1.3 million frustrated and unable to pursue a higher education.”
He compared Nigeria’s predicament to other nations, claiming that the country has only 275 universities despite its 200 million inhabitants. In comparison, Indonesia, with a similar population, has approximately 2,000 universities, while Russia, Brazil, and India have hundreds of thousands of higher education institutions.”
To address this gap, Maiyaki told stakeholders that the NUC is working to enhance regulatory frameworks and increase capacity to assist the construction of new universities.
Dandutse also mentioned the potential influence of the proposed Federal University in Okigwe.
According to him, it will “significantly improve access to university education for Nigerians, particularly those in Imo State, while contributing to national educational development.”
Similarly, Ndubueze emphasised the institution’s transformative potential for Okigwe, pointing out that the community has long been without a federal presence.
“Okigwe remains the only province from the past era without federal recognition or a state capital status,” he said.
