President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the phased commencement of academic activities at six of the 14 new universities established during the twilight of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The minister of education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed this to State House correspondents yesterday following a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
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According to him, the initial phase will involve the launch of two universities in the fields of agriculture, two as colleges of education, and two focusing on the field of medicine.
He said, “There are very many, probably about a dozen of them, if not more than a dozen or 14, that’s the number, and you know 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 12 or 14 institutions at once, it’s a very heavy burden on the finances of the government, so that’s why.”
He said the government would consider reassessing whether to proceed with other institutions; however, a significant number of them are specialized in nature, such as colleges of education, agriculture, and medicine.
The minister affirmed that these institutions are strategically aligned with the key mandates and priorities of President Tinubu’s administration.
Some of the universities established during the period are David Nweze Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu; the Federal University of Transport Daura; Katsina; Shehu Shagari University of Education, Sokoto; and Admiralty University Ibusa, Delta State.
The minister mentioned that the president also approved the completion of the National Library, which has been projected to be completed in 21 months as the nation’s depository.