Education
ASUU, Students Union Leader Bemoan Proliferation of Universities in Nigeria
Some stakeholders in University education in Nigeria, on Thursday, warned against the proliferation of universities in the country, following Wednesday’s approval of 20 new private universities by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
In separate interviews in Benin, the stakeholders said there was nothing to justify the approval, when the existing universities were neither adequately funded nor properly monitored to ensure compliance, with appropriate guidelines.
Prof. Monday Omoregie, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Benin chapter, said that he had begun to see approval of more universities as political patronage, despite warnings, to the relevant authorities, on the inherent danger.
Omoregie said that expanding the existing universities would perform the functions the new ones were established to do.
According to him, education remains the vibrant instrument for development, hence the need for the government to do the needful in ensuring that the schools are run the way they are supposed to.
“Education is a social service, but these private universities are established by investors, who believe in profit making.
“The guideline is that private universities must be run for 15 years before any plan of making profit, but which university can do that”, he asked, saying that within a year of establishment, many proprietors would begin to crave gain.
Speaking in a similar vein, Prof. Monday Igbafen, Chairman of ASUU, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, said that establishment of more universities, without proper recourse to the challenges facing the existing ones, was what the union had been trying to criticise.
“How do you justify the existence of additional universities, when there is this cry that even the private universities that are running now lack proper monitoring, to see if they comply with the NUC guidelines and what is required to run a university.
“They are all just centres of where they collect people’s money. That is why most of us are getting worried about the education system in the country”, he said.
When told that the approval might be to expand access to university education, Igbafen said that if properly funded one university in the country might take a half of the population of prospective university students.
“ABU (Ahmadu Bello University) can cater for almost half the population of students we admit in this country, but there is nothing on ground to sustain an ideal university.
“When you carry out objective assessment of these universities, you discover that they are not really universities; they are just there to divert our attention where the rich ones can send their children, whereas they will not be properly trained in terms of developing minds.
“It is all about just dishing out degrees; not necessarily interested in the content and quality of the product. It is just about giving out first class and what is important is to get money. I think it is necessary for government to reflect on some of all these decisions that they have taken.
“If we have to advance the course of our educational development in this country, it is not through proliferation of both private and public universities”, he said.
Also reacting, Benjamin Egwu, the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), said that the proliferation of private universities would soon cripple the standard and patronage of public universities.
“The attention of students is being diverted to the private universities,cause the situation of our public universities is worrisome. The incessant industrial action by the ASUU is one factor, while lack of proper funding is another.
“There is no need for the approval of more universities for now. These private universities are to shift attention from public school, because there is no much care about facilities in the public universities.
“The public universities are dying and if the situation is not properly checked, it will lead to what is currently happening to public primary and secondary schools in the country.
“If you compare the public and private primary and secondary schools, the difference is clear. It is affecting the system negatively and that is now moving to the higher institutions.
“It is getting to a situation where commoners would also not want to train his children in the public universities because of the environment”, he said.
Egwu bemoaned the obsolete state of facilities in the public university, saying “when you walk into any public university, whether state or federal, what you will see in its library are books of 1980s, 1990s.
“There are no update-to-date books in the libraries as we speak. Just ask the librarian when last they updated their shelves.
“The auditorium we are using at the University of Benin was built in 1981; about 40 years ago, without maintenance”, Egwu said. (NAN)
The Federal Government has approved N4bn for the payment of allowances to Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement.
The approval follows outcries from the beneficiaries who had lamented that they were being pushed into forced labour and prostitution due to prolonged hardship occasioned by the nonpayment of their allowance by the Federal Government.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the fund, representing part of the N8bn budgeted for the programme this year, had been released as the first tranche to address outstanding payments owed to the scholars.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance has approved N4bn to pay the first tranche, and I am working with the Minister of Finance to settle the remaining N4bn. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, they will receive all their allowances for 2025 and 2026.
According to him, efforts are ongoing between both ministries to ensure that all outstanding payments are cleared, with the balance expected to be released within four weeks.
The development follows a disturbing viral video from affected students across countries, including Russia, Serbia and Venezuela, who said delays in stipends spanning over a year had left many struggling to survive, with some resorting to menial jobs while others claimed female students had been forced into prostitution.
The outcry comes barely a year after the Federal Government terminated the scholarship programme and promised to ensure that current students are funded to complete their studies.
In 2025, the minister cited inefficiency and misallocation of national resources as reasons for terminating the programme, following similar complaints from previous beneficiaries.
The programme, established through diplomatic partnerships, had enabled Nigerian students to study in countries such as China, Russia, Hungary, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Serbia.
He explained that the scheme had become unsustainable, noting that the government planned to spend about N9bn on just 1,200 students in 2025.
However, the minister assured that all current beneficiaries of the scheme would continue to receive full government support until they complete their studies and return to Nigeria.
Despite assurances that current beneficiaries would not be affected, several students said they had not received stipends for over two years, leaving them stranded.
In the viral video, about 16 Nigerian scholars in Russia appealed to the government for urgent intervention, describing their situation as dire.
One of the students, a fifth-year medical student in Rostov, said many had been pushed into extreme conditions to survive.
A student leader in Russia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development recently, lamenting that the rising cost of living and currency challenges had worsened their situation.
She added that restrictions on student work permits in some countries further limit their ability to earn income.
Another student in Venezuela described the situation as abandonment, noting that scholars from other countries receive regular support from their governments.
He said, “It is only Nigerians that are abandoned. Other countries like Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and Brazil, send delegates to check on their students and pay them, but no one comes from Nigeria.
A parent of an affected scholar, who spoke anonymously with our correspondent, said relevant government agencies had been engaged to facilitate the payment.
“The situation requires prompt attention. These children were sent abroad through a government programme. There have been delays in stipends despite repeated appeals to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and other agencies.”
The Federal Government had earlier, in January, dismissed claims that Nigerian scholarship students in Morocco were abandoned, following a viral video that showed some students facing hardship, including homelessness and lack of medical support.
The video, shared on X by activist Martins Otse, featured interviews with Nigerian students in Morocco who alleged they had gone for years without receiving financial support despite being beneficiaries of government scholarships.
Reacting, the Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, insisted that no student on a valid Federal Government scholarship had been neglected.
Alausa was quoted as saying that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship Programme before 2024 had received payments up to the 2024 budget year in line with government obligations.
The statement noted that any delays in outstanding payments were due to fiscal constraints and were being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The Federal Government has approved N4bn for the payment of allowances to Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement.
The approval follows outcries from the beneficiaries who had lamented that they were being pushed into forced labour and prostitution due to prolonged hardship occasioned by the nonpayment of their allowance by the Federal Government.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed that the fund, representing part of the N8bn budgeted for the programme this year, had been released as the first tranche to address outstanding payments owed to the scholars.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance has approved N4bn to pay the first tranche, and I am working with the Minister of Finance to settle the remaining N4bn. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, they will receive all their allowances for 2025 and 2026.
According to him, efforts are ongoing between both ministries to ensure that all outstanding payments are cleared, with the balance expected to be released within four weeks.
The development follows a disturbing viral video from affected students across countries, including Russia, Serbia and Venezuela, who said delays in stipends spanning over a year had left many struggling to survive, with some resorting to menial jobs while others claimed female students had been forced into prostitution.
The outcry comes barely a year after the Federal Government terminated the scholarship programme and promised to ensure that current students are funded to complete their studies.
In 2025, the minister cited inefficiency and misallocation of national resources as reasons for terminating the programme, following similar complaints from previous beneficiaries.
The programme, established through diplomatic partnerships, had enabled Nigerian students to study in countries such as China, Russia, Hungary, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Serbia.
He explained that the scheme had become unsustainable, noting that the government planned to spend about N9bn on just 1,200 students in 2025.
However, the minister assured that all current beneficiaries of the scheme would continue to receive full government support until they complete their studies and return to Nigeria.
Despite assurances that current beneficiaries would not be affected, several students said they had not received stipends for over two years, leaving them stranded.
In the viral video, about 16 Nigerian scholars in Russia appealed to the government for urgent intervention, describing their situation as dire.
One of the students, a fifth-year medical student in Rostov, said many had been pushed into extreme conditions to survive.
A student leader in Russia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development recently, lamenting that the rising cost of living and currency challenges had worsened their situation.
She added that restrictions on student work permits in some countries further limit their ability to earn income.
Another student in Venezuela described the situation as abandonment, noting that scholars from other countries receive regular support from their governments.
He said, “It is only Nigerians that are abandoned. Other countries like Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and Brazil, send delegates to check on their students and pay them, but no one comes from Nigeria.
A parent of an affected scholar, who spoke anonymously with our correspondent, said relevant government agencies had been engaged to facilitate the payment.
“The situation requires prompt attention. These children were sent abroad through a government programme. There have been delays in stipends despite repeated appeals to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and other agencies.”
The Federal Government had earlier, in January, dismissed claims that Nigerian scholarship students in Morocco were abandoned, following a viral video that showed some students facing hardship, including homelessness and lack of medical support.
The video, shared on X by activist Martins Otse, featured interviews with Nigerian students in Morocco who alleged they had gone for years without receiving financial support despite being beneficiaries of government scholarships.
Reacting, the Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, insisted that no student on a valid Federal Government scholarship had been neglected.
Alausa was quoted as saying that all beneficiaries enrolled under the Bilateral Education Scholarship Programme before 2024 had received payments up to the 2024 budget year in line with government obligations.
The statement noted that any delays in outstanding payments were due to fiscal constraints and were being addressed through ongoing engagements between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
The Federal Government has approved exemption of candidates seeking admission into the National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme with a minimum of four credits from sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Minister of Education, Dr.
Tunji Alausa, announced the policy on Monday in Abuja, at the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).The event also featured the 6th Edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit (NATAP-M) awards.
Alausa said the decision followed consultations with stakeholders aimed at expanding access to teacher education and strengthening enrollment in Colleges of Education (CoE) nationwide.
He explained that eligible candidates would, however, be required to register with JAMB for proper screening, verification and issuance of admission letters through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
According to him, the exemption is part of deliberate reforms to harness the admission capacity of colleges of education, particularly within local communities.
“Accordingly, candidates seeking admission into the NCE programme, who possess a minimum of four credit passes, will no longer be required to sit for the UTME.
“However, it is imperative to emphasise that such candidates shall mandatorily register with JAMB, and their credentials shall be duly screened, verified, and certified for the issuance of admission letters thr“In recognition of this reality, the Federal Ministry of Education, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, has taken a deliberate policy position.
ough CAPS, in accordance with extant regulations.”
The minister added that the exemption would also apply to candidates seeking admission into National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural and agriculture-related courses.
He said the measure was designed to ease pressure associated with UTME, while encouraging participation in critical sectors essential to national development.
He reiterated that admissions conducted outside CAPS remained illegal and would not be recognised by the government.
He also warned that institutions violating established admission procedures risked sanctions, including suspension of operating licences where applicable.
Alausa reaffirmed the government’s position on 16 years as the minimum admission age into tertiary institutions, noting that the decision aimed at maintaining inclusivity and academic readiness.
He noted that the federal government was implementing wide-ranging reforms in the education sector focused on access, quality, governance and accountability.
He commended JAMB for deploying technology-driven solutions that enhanced fairness and credibility in the admissions process.
He added that efforts were ongoing to deepen inclusion for Persons living With Disabilities through application fee waivers and targeted support initiatives.
“This initiative is not only humane but also a powerful affirmation of our national commitment to equity and equal opportunity.
“The increasing participation of candidates with disabilities in our examinations and admissions processes is clear evidence that when barriers are removed, potential is unleashed,” Alausa said.
The minister further disclosed that the government was advancing digital transformation in education through expanded computer-based testing and integration of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into curricula.
He said the federal government had equally achieved progress in stabilising the university system, following successful renegotiation of agreements aimed at ensuring uninterrupted academic calendars.
Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating examination malpractice through strengthened verification systems and enhanced collaboration among relevant agencies.
He urged stakeholders to uphold integrity and fairness in admissions decisions, noting that outcomes of the policy meeting would affect millions of Nigerian youths seeking tertiary education opportunities.
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