The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has openly criticized the Federal Government for granting approval to new private universities, barely days after it announced a seven-year suspension on the establishment of additional tertiary institutions.
In a statement released on Thursday and signed by ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, the union questioned the logic behind the government’s action, stressing that access to higher education was no longer Nigeria’s primary challenge.
Piwuna said, “ASUU also watched in awe as the Federal Government announced the seven-year moratorium; they proceeded to announce the establishment of nine new private universities. If we agree that access is no longer an issue, why is the NUC giving more licences to private universities?”
He added that while ASUU recognizes the right of private individuals to establish educational institutions, it insists that proper regulation must be enforced to guarantee quality.
okaynews.com reports that the union further described the development as a “scandalous proliferation” of universities, alleging that licences were being used as tools of political reward by successive administrations.
“The government must therefore promote quality education and shun profiteering in the education sector. We have 72 federal, 108 state, and 159 private universities, totaling 339. This gives each state and the FCT an average of nine universities, excluding polytechnics and colleges of education. So why not place a moratorium on both public and private?” ASUU queried.
The union warned that unchecked expansion of universities would worsen staff shortages, erode global rankings, and undermine the value of Nigerian degrees.
Citing the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who recently admitted that several federal universities operate far below capacity, ASUU maintained that scarce resources were being spread too thin. In some cases, universities with fewer than 2,000 students were still consuming huge resources.
The union reiterated its long-standing demands, including renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, provision of revitalisation funds, payment of salary arrears, and clearance of promotion backlogs.
