ASUU Strike: As NANS protest, NUC licences 12 new private universities

ASUU Strike: As NANS protest, NUC licences 12 new private universities

As National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) is protesting against lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Universities Commission (NUC) has presented provisional licences to 12 new private universities in the country.

Over 3,000 students of public universities blocked major highways and stalled vehicular movements in Nsukka, Enugu over ASUU strike.

The protesters were carrying placards with inscriptions like “No suspension of ASUU strike, No party primaries, “We are tired of staying at home, “FG should setttle with ASUU, “We want to go back to school.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, presented licences to proprietors of the new private universities.

The universities include the Pen Resource University, Gombe; Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri; Margaret Lawrence University Galilee, Delta; and Khalifa Isiyaku Rabiu University, Kano.

Others are Sports University, Idumuje, Delta; Bab Ahmed University, Kano; Saisa University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Sokoto; and the Nigerian British University, Asa, Abia.

The rest are Peter University, Achina/Onneh, Anambra; Newgate University, Minna; European University of Nigeria, Duboyi, FCT; and Northwest University, Sokoto, Sokoto State.

Speaking at the event, the minister said while the number of the new universities may seem large, there was the need to establish more universities in the country,

“Government is also well aware of the need to improve the country’s Human Development Index ranking, knowing that countries that are consistently well-ranked in human development indices have maintained a respectable number of universities relative to their population.

“In the 2020 UN Human Development index, Nigeria dropped three places to 161 out of 189 countries and territories. These are some of the matters we aim to address.

“As usual the provisional approval for these universities to operate is intended to create room for effective mentoring and qualitative growth within the first three years of operation,” Adamu said.

He said the universities would be affiliated to older generation universities for academic and administrative mentoring which would be moderated by the NUC.

He urged the proprietors to sustain funding towards improving infrastructure, equipment for teaching and learning as well as human resources to earn the universities accreditation by NUC.

Prof. Abubakar Rasheed , the Executive Secretary NUC, commended the proprietors of the new universities.

He said private universities bring uniqueness to the Nigerian university landscape.

“The NUC has embarked on a radical re-engineering of the curricula in the Nigerian universities to meet global standards and international best practices toward preparing Nigerian graduates for relevance in world economy.”

“The establishment of more private universities under the strict supervision of NUC is an antidote to the proliferation of illegal source of worry and embarrassment to the nation and a menace to quality university education delivery.’’

Dr Muhammed Dikwa, the Proprietor of Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri, Borno, speaking on behalf of the proprietors assured the NUC that the newly licenced universities would observe  all the guidelines set out by the NUC and ensure that qualitative education was not compromised.

By PRNigeria