Private universities have saved the day

Their coming has however been a revolution of sorts which has brought many benefits to the Nigerian economy and society that are not widely acknowledged. Before the coming up of private universities, the government alone established and run universities in Nigeria. Initially, it was the federal government only but later the state governments joined in […]

Their coming has however been a revolution of sorts which has brought many benefits to the Nigerian economy and society that are not widely acknowledged. Before the coming up of private universities, the government alone established and run universities in Nigeria. Initially, it was the federal government only but later the state governments joined in the action.

During the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, private individuals and organisations were licensed to establish and run universities in Nigeria, a policy that has brought many benefits to Nigerian students yearning for higher education as well as to their parents and the larger society.
More than a million students who pass out of secondary schools in Nigeria annually apply to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board [JAMB] seeking admission into universities. Those that made five credits and above including Mathematics and English are officially qualified for admission but the government -owned universities together could only admit about 150,000 students a year, hence the creation of a huge backlog of applicants.
Some universities over admit students as a result of pressure from parents and also as a revenue generation measure. As a result, their facilities are over stretched. In some universities, students stand in the hall or sit on windows in order to take lectures because the available seats cannot accommodate them. In the hostels, accommodation meant for six students is often occupied by ten to fifteen students. This makes life very uncomfortable for students.
Over the years, some parents that could afford it responded to the situation by sending their children to foreign countries to study so as to avoid discomfort and prolonged stay in Nigerian universities. This situation denied Nigeria a lot of money. School fees that were to be paid to Nigerian universities were paid instead to foreign universities. The monies our students have paid to American, British, Arabian, Malaysian, South African and even Ghanaian universities is such that it could have been used to develop local schools and add value to our economy.
Nigeria has lost so much money to foreign institutions, which is the more reason why most foreign universities have marketing agents in Nigeria who go around looking for students mostly in third terms which is the last end of the school year in Nigeria. This is very bad for us as a country.
On top of that is the issue of strikes by academic and non-academic staff of Nigerian universities. These have become almost an annual affair and the strikes often many months. The school calendar is disrupted in all public universities in Nigeria and programmes of study meant for four years can take up to six years or even more to complete. Recently, the problem between the students and some state governments over increase in school fees has kept the students at home for some time now.
However, in foreign universities the issue of strike is not common. The moment students are admitted, they know when they will graduate from the school. Parents prefer their children and wards to attend foreign institutions so as to graduate at the normal time. Lecturers do not go on strike and facilities are not overstretched even though there may be cases of racial discrimination, especially in Arab countries. Nigerian students on many occasions suffer from racism from white students. It takes only students who are determined to endure and withstand and overcome this bad situation in foreign universities.
The freedoms our students enjoy in foreign countries sometimes lead them to abandon studies, or become drug addicts. Others go into prostitution; some even go into armed robbery. Some of our Nigerian students end up in foreign prisons; some are even killed while those who are lucky are deported home after spending much hard currency in school fees.
Fortunately, the involvement of foreign and private individuals in the ownership of universities in Nigeria has brought about relief to students, parents and also to Nigerian embassies and government. Universities like Baze University, American University of Nigeria, Nile University, Afe Babalola University and a host of others lead the way.
To a very large extent these universities are well equipped with facilities and experienced lecturers. The situation where our students go to foreign universities overseas has reduced. Parents will be closer to their children and also monitor their children. Our private institutions are able to bring all the needed facilities in foreign universities to Nigeria for their benefit, the students and parents as well. Their coming has therefore been a plus for Nigeria, everything considered.
Abdullahi Jega, Baze University, Abuja. [email protected]