NUC Grants License to Kwara State University of Education
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has formally licensed the new Kwara State University of Education, Ilorin.
Speaking in a brief ceremony in his office on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr. Chris Maiyaki, said the new university will be the 273rd in Nigeria and the 64th state-owned varsity in the country.
He presented an official letter of recognition to the Deputy Governor of Kwara state, Mr. Kayode Alabi, and applauded the state for the foresight and bold initiative to establish another state university in recognition of the place of education in the upliftment of the country’s massive youth population.
“As you well know, education is on the concurrent list. Therefore, the federal government and state governments are empowered to establish public schools while individuals who have the wherewithal are licensed to own private schools. And why do they do that? Because I think the whole world recognises that there is no such legacy as education, and as you know, no country has developed beyond the capacity and strength of its university system.
“Universities are the heart of our communities. Our life choices will always gravitate around the investment we make in education, around the educational exposure we give our people,” he said.
Speaking in favour of having more universities in the country, the NUC boss said: “If you take the United States of America, with a population of about 300 million for example, you will discover that they have about 5,500 universities. Brazil, nearly the size of the Nigerian population, has over 1,500 universities. Indonesia, slightly above the population of Nigeria, has nearly 2,000 universities.”
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He continued: “So, to hear that Kwara has taken the bold step, to establish a second university is very heartwarming. The NUC is like the proverbial maternity ward, where we are excited to always witness the birth of a new baby.“
Proclaiming the official recognition of the new varsity, Maiyaki also announced that the license being given to the Kwara state government has been copied to relevant sister agencies that will aid its success like the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor who represented Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, said in the whole of northern Nigeria, Kwara is the only state that has education as its major industry, adding that it has been a torch bearer in that industry since its establishment.
He explained the vision behind the new state varsity, saying it was meant for the state to expand the frontiers of knowledge in Kwara and beyond and retain its reputation as the headquarters of qualitative education in the North.
Alabi, who chaired the establishment committee of the new varsity, recalled how the state government approached the NUC in a similar manner 15 years ago to seek license for the establishment of the Kwara State University (KWASU) in Malete, near Ilorin. He added that KWASU is now one of the high flying state universities in Nigeria.
PRNigeria reports that during the ceremony, the Kwara state delegation handed over three vital documents to the NUC before license was granted and officially presented. The documents include the law establishing the school, the academic brief and the Masterplan.
The Kwara state government had in a letter dated 15th of July, 2024, and signed by the governor, sought license for the construction and operation of the new varsity.
By PRNigeria
