The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the issuance of operating licences to nine new private universities in the country.
Following the approval by the council during its meeting which was chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo there are now a total of 59 private universities in the country.
Osita Chidoka, the minister of aviation, who briefed journalists after the council meeting listed the nine new universities to include: Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, Ogun State; Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun State; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Orode, Delta State; Mountain Top University, Ogun State; Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State and Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.
Asked if the Federal Government will step in to curtail the exorbitant fees being charged in the private universities, Ibrahim Shakarau, the minister of education, said, “As far as government is concerned, all Federal Government universities are tuition-free.
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Whatever the universities are charging are so minimal for some day-to-day activities: games fees, union fees and some other fees.
“Of recent, I had cause to ask the NUC to regulate kind of minimum because there is a university that is charging as low as N20,000, N15,000. Some charge N30,000 to N80,000 or so which is a composition of a number of different kinds of fees. But basically, no university owned by government is charging tuition fee.
“But the private universities are like any other private institutions: private primary school, private secondary school. All that is the responsibility of government is to ensure that the standards are maintained.
“We are to ensure that they are operating within the minimum required standard, and that is the responsibility of the NUC in terms of their facilities, staffing and so on.
“The accreditation of any universities or courses has nothing to do with the fees they charge just like the private hospitals.
“Government really does not have anything to do as far as what the private institutions are charging. Tuition is free in public schools.”
