The National Universities Commission, NUC, has disclosed that close to six million applicants for university admissions within the last five years were denied admission due to shortage of space and capacities by the existing universities in the country.
Executive secretary of the commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed stated this yesterday in his office while receiving a team of intellectuals from Kogi West lobbying for upgrade of Federal College of Agriculture, Kabba to a full-fledged university.
He disclosed that between 2013 and 2017, out of 7.8million university admission applicants that sat for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, only 1.9million gained admission, leaving the remaining 5.9 million in the cold.
“The surest way out of this problem largely created by yearly increase in population is for government and private individuals or corporate bodies to establish more universities.
“As at today, Monday 12-03-2018, there are 161 universities comprising 41 federally owned, 46 states owned and 74 owned by private individuals or corporate bodies with attendant inadequate space, capacities and facilities for admission of up to 2million admission seekers,” he said.
Rasheed, however, assured Nigerians that the NUC is currently working with the universities to find solutions to the admission problems, adding that recommendations to that effect would be submitted soon to the various authorities including the executive and legislative arm of government.
In an earlier remark, the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Dino Melaye, who was among the delegation, stated that Okun land, specifically Kabba as its headquarters deserves a university.
He said, “The College of Agriculture Kabba is as old as the ABU Zaria but it is yet to become a full fledged university even though it has most of the facilities required to become a university.
“We need this university because it’s as important to us Okun people as the breath of air, so we have come to lobby you so that you can lobby the Education Minister, and President Buhari so that a university can be established in Kabba.
“A Bill seeking to establish the university in Kabba is currently at the National Assembly. “We appeal to you that when the Bill gets to the President and your advice is sought, give good words for us the Okun people,” Melaye requested.
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