Why we licensed 11 private varsities, by NUC

The National Universities Commission (NUC) said on Monday it gave provisional licences to 11 private universities over a two-year period to enable them satisfy their registration requirements.
Malam Ibrahim Yakasai, NUC’s Director of Information, offered the explanation while fielding questions from newsmen on the commission’s recent grading of the private universities.
He said that NUC never described the affected 11 universities as sub-standard.
“They are given provisional licences and an additional two years to make up their deficiencies to enable the commission issue them full operational licences.’’
According to him, the commission used accreditation of programmes, quality and quantity of academic members of staff as some of the criteria for the rating.
Others include existence of functional laboratories, workshops, social amenities, infrastructure and security, an approved governance structure and a functional board of trustees.
Yakasai listed funding, libraries and e-learning environment as some other requirements.
“These minimum requirements must be met and respected by all universities in order to avoid risking sanctions of denial of accreditation of courses or closure,’’ said the spokesman.
It would be recalled that the NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, presented permanent licences to nine other private universities on August 13, and granted two-year extension to eleven others.
The affected 11 universities are Wesley University of Science and Technology, Landmark University, Rhema University and Samuel Adegboyega University.
Others are Paul University, Oduduwa University, Tansian University, Baze University, Obong University, Achievers University and Wellspring University.
The nine universities that received full operational licenses are Veritas University, Caleb University, Geofery Okoye University, Fountain University, Adeleke University, Western Delta University, Afe Babalola University, Salem University and Nigerian Turkish Nile University.
The director advised parents to stop sending their wards to neighbouring countries for university education as Nigerian higher educational institutions had come of age.
Yakasai added that most Nigerian universities compete favourably with overseas institutions and rejected the rating of Nigerian universities by foreign bodies.
Reacting, the Pro-Chancellor of one of the affected universities, Baze University, Abuja, Sen. Datti Baba-Ahmed, said the board of the institution would meet within the week to respond to NUC’s decision.
Baba-Ahmed urged parents and other stakeholders to await the outcome of the board of trustees’ meeting.