Mass approval of licenses for new universities could undermine Nigeria’s future – Afe Babalola warns FG  

Babalola gave the warning during a High Impact Research and Journal Advancement Workshop organised by the institution in Ado-Ekiti.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria expressed concern that many newly licensed institutions lacked the necessary infrastructure and facilities to deliver quality education, warning that a “quantity-over-quality” approach was dangerous.

“Approving establishment of universities without consideration for quality and infrastructure could adversely affect the country in the future, if not stopped immediately,” he said.

Referencing the era of Prof. Peter Okebukola as the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Babalola said the process was previously more rigorous and credible.

“Not only was the visitation and accreditation process rigorous, it was also impossible for anyone to obtain approval to commence degree programmes, especially in Medicine, Engineering, and Law, especially in the first few years of establishing a university. 

“But what do we have today? Mass approval of mushroom and substandard universities, with some lacking even the basic learning facilities and infrastructure,” he noted

Babalola lamented that the current licensing system had weakened the NUC’s regulatory capacity, putting the integrity of Nigeria’s university system at risk.

“As a result of this anything goes syndrome, approach to university licensing and accreditation, NUC’s ability to ensure quality control, and to stamp out substandard institutions, have been seriously compromised,” he noted.

He disclosed that Nigeria currently has more than 270 universities, with about 200 new proposals pending before the National Assembly.

“The focus now seems to be on quantity, not quality, licensing more universities, without adequate plans for monitoring their standards. 

“The end result is a rapid decline and rot of our educational system, and in the quality of our graduates. 

“What we need is quality education, because poor education is worse than illiteracy,” he emphasized.

Babalola stressed that Nigeria’s quest for national development through research cannot be achieved without addressing the proliferation of substandard universities.

“If we are really serious about accelerating national development, through research, the starting point will be that the process of approval for university licenses should be thorough,” he noted.

The federal government has taken steps to expand Nigeria’s higher education sector by approving the establishment of several new universities, both federal and private, as part of a broader plan to enhance educational access and promote national development.

The federal government has taken steps to expand Nigeria’s higher education sector by approving the establishment of several new universities, both federal and private, as part of a broader plan to enhance educational access and promote national development.

However, following the surge in private university approvals, the Federal Government announced a one-year moratorium on the registration of new private universities to give the National Universities Commission (NUC) time to review and strengthen regulatory guidelines. The moratorium aims to ensure that new universities meet the required academic standards, infrastructure needs, and capacity benchmarks before being granted licenses to operate.