By Paul Williams
The Federal Government during an extraordinary session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the licensing of 37 new universities in Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after the meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja
He noted that the new approval, brings to 72 the total number of universities licensed by the Buhari administration since 2015.
The minister, however, did not name the universities, revealing that one of them is an online university, the first of its kind in Nigeria owned by a woman from Bauchi State.
According to him, it is expected that it will cater for the likes of northern Muslim women who feel reluctant or are restrained from attending physical campus education.
Asked if the additional universities were really expedient given the funding challenges of existing ones, Adamu explained that these ones are all private, with enough funds to run them and they should not be denied the opportunity to exist.
Besides, the Minister said, “Nigeria actually needs more universities as the available ones are nor adequate to take up all those aspiring for higher education.”