11 New Universities Rise In Nigeria, Education Minister Confirms
Additional eleven new private universities have been approved with the nation’s education minister, Dr. Maruf Alausa presenting provisional licences to them today, April 30. These bring to 159, the number of private universities in the country.
The new universities are City University, Ayetoro, Ogun State; University of Fortune, Igbotako, Ondo State; Eranova University, Mabushi, FCT, Abuja; Minaret University, Ikirun, Osun Annex and Abubakar Toyin University, Oke-Agba, Kwara State.
Others are Southern Atlantic University, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Lens University, Ilemona, Kwara State; Monarch University, Iyesi-Ota, Ogun State; Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin City, Edo State; Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, Lagos State and Kevin Eze University, Mgbowo, Enugu State.
Dr. Maruf Alausa, while presentating the licenses to representatives of the new universities, said that a true university should be a hub for education, talent development and innovation.
He said that such University needs to be supported by competent staff and modern facilities, and prioritizing research and extending beyond local boundaries to global relevance.
He advised private universities to lead in academic excellence and align with national goals in STEM and technical education to address the shortage of skilled professionals in key sectors like healthcare and engineering.
He also called for collaboration among universities, both locally and internationally, to enhance resources, credibility and programme diversity.
He encouraged them to be bold, visionary, and proactive in transforming Nigeria’s higher education.
“We are therefore charging all private universities, especially the new entrants here today, to align with our national priorities of expansive STEM education.
“In addition to STEM, we do have science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and education sciences, as well as our technical and vocational education and training agenda.
“These are the pillars upon which Nigeria will build its future workforce and industrial competitiveness. And the issue is the urgency of skilled professions in areas such as nursing, pharmacy, doctors, physical therapists, and competent engineers. We are more than enough social science graduates, with due respect, but we have to be realistic here.
“What Nigeria needs now are programme solvers, graduates with life skills that can power industries, build infrastructures, and improve the lives of engineers. Furthermore, the future of higher education is collaborative.
“I challenge private universities to form strategic alliances among themselves, share best practices, and even consider majors where feasible.
“These partnerships can help pool resources, expand programme offerings, and enhance academic credibility. Beyond local collaboration, we also encourage you to forge affiliations with reputable foreign universities.
“I have travelled widely across the globe and know that Nigeria is an attractive destination for transnational education.”
This was even as the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad described the event as a significant progress in improving access to tertiary education.
He called on them to uphold academic integrity.
“These represent a significant extension of our universities’ carrying capacities and promote healthy competition and the development of Nigeria.”
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, congratulated the promoters of the new universities for the establishment of the institutions.
He said that private universities play a vital role in complementing the existing ones, and that the process of establishment has evolved, with 159 private universities now in existence, including the newly approved ones.
He said that the Commission recognizes the significance of private universities in enhancing access to tertiary education, noting that the provisional license is granted for three years, after which a substantive license will be issued.
He advised the universities to deploy the necessary resources for their commencement and encouraged them to find effective ways of implementing the CCMASS.
Ribadu charged them to adhere to NUC regulations, adding that each of the new universities has been attached to an already established institution for mentorship.
Also speaking, JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, advised the institutions to exercise integrity and sincerity, not imposing religious beliefs on candidates.
Natasha’s Puerile Apology Letter, By Gbenga Oshinowo
Suspended senator representing Kogi Central , Natasha Akpoti -Uduaghan decided to bring herself to sordid spotlight again by hurling into public space an asinine piece entitled “Satirical Apology Letter” and addressed to Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Nigerian Senate.
In the ill-advised and inelegant piece of insolence against the Nation and its institution, Natasha attempts to wax intellectual by introducing the concept of satire into the uncouth letter . It is obvious that she has almost no knowledge of the concept and its import. Satire implies criticizing people or ideas in a humorous way in order to make a political point. And so in this piece of absurdity , who is she criticizing or which idea is her target of intention. The vile piece is nothing more than serialized lies and calculated deception.
The so-called apology letter is a burlesque, a parody and not a satire as she ignorantly claims. Burlesque is an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something especially in a literary or dramatic work. It is a device in communication which fits her skewed thinking in this circumstance. Unfortunately in her hysteria and swashbuckling, she does not pay attention to learning.
The above framework fits what Natasha has been doing these past few months. She has proven herself a poor drama queen who is very poor at interpreting scripts yet presents the public with absurd dramatic optics with the intent to manipulate them. Her works so far have remained bland and unconvincing despite her concerted efforts. Her theatrical outputs are tasteless, insipid and vacuous of any mental deposit.
It is sad that even though they credit her as being a lawyer, no action of hers reflects that any learning from that noble discipline was acquired by her even inadvertently. She is lawless, undisciplined, unbridled in her tongue and bereft of logical reasoning. Her public conduct flies ethics and moral values in the face. So what type of lawyer is she ? Pity!
If she were a lawyer, she would have been familiar with the law of evidence. She would also have known that he who alleges must prove . But Natasha has continued to dish out random narratives that are far-fetched in evidence and even logic. Sometimes the storylines are so childish that people are forced to see her actions as that of an “agbaya”; a Yoruba usage loosely referred to an old person who acts childishly with not much sense. And to know that this person was a member of the highest legislative body in the land until her suspension puts this nation on a questionable threshold in the leadership recruitment process.
In her malevolent, malicious and deceptive letter which is replete with pun, Natasha proves that she had a chequered upbringing that was far from decent and the manifestations are what she is grappling with. Her petulant nature , her ease with fabrication of lies, the consistent introduction of new allegations like “private dinner behind closed doors” and her use of lewd puns like “erection” for “election” summarize her as debased and lacking in moral values.
In her over- bloated, ego she calls herself a stubborn woman. Is it a virtue? Even though she is likely to claim that, the stubbornness is about her strength of character, she knows that she is economical with the truth if she nurses such an assumption. Her past records are in clear dissonance with such assumptions and so would not support such claims. And let no one talk about change or repentance. It is easy to spot those cut for repentance when one sees them. She does not bear any such value.
She signs off her inane letter with “Yours in eternal resistance”. Interesting. It is obvious that she is yielding to populism rather than sense and playing to the gallery. May I kindly remind her of an adage which submits that “a dog that is destined to get missing will never hear the hunter’s whistle”. Before she construes this as a threat to abduct her, this adage refers solely to her political career which she is railroading to destruction because of untamed conduct and bloated ego.
The last lines, “Unafraid, Unbought, and Unbroken tell the story of a young woman who lives in delusional cravings and fabricates false narratives as a habit to satiate whatever is hounding or haunting her.
Gbenga Oshinowo wrote in from Abuja.