THE former executive secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, has given a hint that the commission might soon raise the bar in approving licence for private universities in Nigeria.
This he said is to bring sanity and further guarantee quality in the operation of private tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Okebukola gave the hint while delivering the 10th convocation lecture of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, entitled ‘Private Universities and the Revitalisation of Nigerian University System’.
He said: “Private universities in Nigeria have a very bright future at alpha level <.05. Put another way, one is 95 per cent confident that private universities will have sunshiny days ahead.
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“The sharpening of the quality assurance teeth of the National Universities Commission is one of these forces. In the coming years, it is predicted that the NUC will hike its minimum standards for establishing new private universities.
“The raising of the stake will result in the licensing of better resourced new entrants into the private university stock of universities. Aspects of the minimum standards envisaged to be upwardly reviewed will be the quality and quantity of human resources, facilities and infrastructure.”
On human resources, Okebukola noted that the era of “loaning of PhDs and professors” is gone forever, saying “if incontrovertible evidence of full-time teaching staff with PhDs and professors in courses to be mounted at take-offs is not provided, the application for licence will be denied.
“This means the proprietor will need to provide documentary evidence of acceptance of offer of provisional full-time appointment to such prospective lecturers,” he said.
On facilities and infrastructure, Okebukola said the NUC would be expected to raise current minimum standards, especially in the area of quality of buildings, equipment and infrastructure.
He also identified inadequate funding as the greatest challenge to the growth, sustain-ability of private universities in Nigeria, since their emergence 22 years ago.
Citing a research carried out on 32 private universities by the NUC in all the six geopolitical zones in 2017, Okebukola said about 75 per cent of the institutions complained of lack of funding.
“Twenty-four of the 32 private universities surveyed “bemoaned the gross inadequacy of funding to their institutions to meet overhead and operational costs.
“This they attributed to the apathy and lack of philanthropic contribution by wealthy individuals and industry stakeholders to support university education as is the case in other more developed climes. A few also expressed concerns about the exorbitant cost of the accreditation of their courses and programmes by NUC,” Okebukola said.
The pro-chancellor of the university, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, appealed to the former executive secretary to appeal to the NUC to include private universities in the list of recipients of government funding, the TETFund (Tertiary Education Fund) in particular.
In his remark, the vice chancellor, Professor Dapo Asaju, gave the assurance that Ajayi Crowther University would continue to produce Nigeria’s future leaders with great moral and fear of God to change the story of Nigeria in the comity of nations in the world.
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