The immediate past Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, has stated that Nigeria, with its population of over 220 million, needs to create over 500 universities to meet the admission needs of its citizens. The Permanent Secretary, Mr Andrew David Adejo, directed him to hand over to the Deputy Executive Secretary, Administration until a substantive head is appointed. However, the former Executive Secretary of NUC emphasized that education is the right of all citizens and not just the privileged few. He believed that there was a need to create more universities to bridge the significant gap in admission for candidates, highlighting that only 1 per cent of the country’s population is currently studying in Nigerian universities. The acting Executive Secretary, Mr Chris Maiyaki, pledged to work with the Commission’s management to ensure that graduates of the university system can compete favourably with their counterparts worldwide.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 30, 2023 18:02 UTC