President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, approved the staggered takeoff of six out of 14 public universities established in the twilight of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tahir Mamman, who revealed this to State House Correspondents, said the choice of the universities —two colleges of agriculture, education and medicine each —was strategic to the skills-acquisition needs of the Tinubu-led administration.
The Buhari administration approved the establishment of no fewer than 75 universities, encompassing federal, state and private institutions within seven years.
Some of the universities established at the end of the administration are David Nweze Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi state; Federal University of Transport Daura, Katsina state; Shehu Shagari University of Education, Sokoto state and Admiralty University Ibusa, Delta state.
However, Mamman said the Federal Government lacked the funds to kick-start all the institutions at once as they were capital-intensive.
He added that the Tinubu administration would be “conservative” in doling out approvals for establishing new universities.
“And then there are quite a number of universities and institutions which were approved in the last days of the last administration, which because of funding issues, and even staff, it may not be prudent to get these institutions to take off altogether at once.
“So, Mr. President has directed we stagger their commencement, their take-off so that the government can properly support them,” the former Baze University Vice Chancellor said after he briefed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa.
The Education Minister was reticent, however, to mention the approved institutions.
“Tertiary institutions are highly capital intensive. They need a lot of money, especially at that take-off stage, for infrastructure, staff recruitment and all other needs. So, by the time you want to start about 14 institutions at once, it is a very heavy burden on the finances of the government.
“Most of them are specialised institutions, colleges of education, agriculture, medicine and they are institutions that will support some of the priority areas of this government.
“We will have a need for trained teachers, which colleges of education will provide. And the same thing with agriculture. So that’s why the government has not stepped down that approval.
“Instead, the President said we essentially stagger their implementation on the grounds of funds. We are starting with about six, two of each. Two colleges of agriculture, two colleges of education and then two medicine.”
Mamman also stated plans to complete the National Library in Abuja as one of the issues discussed with the President.
Meanwhile, a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura, has asked Nigerians to exercise patience in the administration’s efforts to revamp the education sector and the economy.
In a media chat with State House Correspondents, Al-Makura, said, “I’ve seen the renewed hope agenda as something that will change the scheme of things for the better for this country, especially in the areas of education, security, economic development.
“I think Nigerians should be patient. I’m sure sooner than later, the vision and policies of this administration will look positively on Nigerians.”
