[OPINION] Nigeria: More Universities Where? - Reuben Abati I stumbled on a story in the Nigerian media which says that the National Assembly is planning to consider no fewer than 63 bills for the creation of new universities, polytechnics, colleges of education >>
![[OPINION] Nigeria: More Universities Where? - Reuben Abati
I stumbled on a story in the Nigerian media which says that](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FZInjuFWQAAPvZF.jpg)
and monotechnics, and I wondered whether madness has finally descended on Nigeria’s education sector. Nigeria at the moment has about 49 Federal Universities, 59 state universities, Polytechnics - about 40, state-owned universities- 49, and private universities – 76, >>
federal and state-owned colleges of health – 70, private colleges of health – 17, Colleges of Education – 219. So, who wants to add 63 more institutions to this array of moribund, inefficient, poorly governed and perpetually-on-strike-colleges? >>
Every tertiary institution is a creation of the law, there is no doubt about that, but it would amount to gross stupidity for any group of lawmakers to sit and deliberate over the possible creation by law of additional tertiary schools in Nigeria today. >>
The sponsors of such bills should not only withdraw them, they should hide their heads in shame, and must not be heard forthwith making any such silly suggestions. Many lawmakers want a tertiary institution in their own neck of the woods. >>
They want it said that as part of democracy dividends, it was during their term in office that a school was brought to their village, or community. They are forever desperate to be seen to be doing something that would fetch them another term in office. >>
It is not difficult to see why community projects so called constitute such a big competition among lawmakers. Some lawmakers collude with the traditional rulers of their communities to give chieftaincy titles to their colleagues to support their plans >>
to establish Universities of Medicine in their villages. If established. such universities would be no better than Primary Health Care Centres. Worse, actually. Higher institutions of learning should not be created on the basis of political expediency. >>
No school should be established to massage the ego of politicians. Tertiary education should not be about quantity, but quality and capacity, not political convenience, but political interest.
We do not need to have a university or a polytechnic in every hamlet of Nigeria - that would be a prescription for chaos and confusion. To read full opinion article visit link