The acting executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Chris Maiyaki, has revealed that despite Nigeria having 149 private universities, these institutions can only accommodate about 10 percent of the nation’s university student population.
Maiyaki disclosed this during a visit from a delegation of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE), China, which is affiliated with UNESCO. He lamented that each year, over two million prospective students seek university admissions in Nigeria, yet the existing institutions can only accommodate between 500,000 and 700,000 candidates.
He further highlighted the need to address this significant gap in access to higher education, emphasizing the NUC’s commitment to facilitating the establishment of additional universities across Nigeria to meet the growing demand for tertiary education.
Maiyaki also noted that while the 149 private universities contribute to the educational landscape, they require time to mature and expand their capacity effectively. He pointed out recent achievements of the NUC, including the launch of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), a collaborative effort that began in 2018 and was officially launched in 2023.
The acting executive secretary also spoke about the NUC’s various roles in the Nigerian university system, such as setting minimum academic standards, accrediting academic programs, and inspecting and monitoring universities. He mentioned the recent introduction of guidelines on Transnational Education (TNE), which encompass six competitive models.
The leader of the Chinese delegation, Professor Jiansheng Liang, spoke about the IIOE’s mission to cultivate highly skilled and technically proficient talents, foster collaboration between the TVET sector and private sectors, and recruit and train masters in technical and pedagogical fields.
