Do we require further universities?

 I was having a contentious discussion with a close friend the other day about the licensing of further universities. According to my friend, Nigeria's 274 universities currently in operation are more than sufficient. He told me that the Academic Staff Union of Universities has always held the opinion that creating centers of excellence for the already-existing universities should take precedence over granting licenses to establish new ones. In his argument, he brought up the issues of money, staffing, and the provision of suitable infrastructure. Additionally, he informed me that no Nigerian university is included among the top 500 in the world by any of the major university ranking services (Times Higher Education, QS World Universities Ranking, and Webometrics Rankings); the closest according to the most recent rankings published in 2023, Covenant University, Ota is ranked between 800 and 1000.

My acquaintance also brought up the subject of graduate unemployment. He questioned me directly, and with great emotion and agitation, if there was any hope for the legions of graduates who are being turned out year after year to find fulfilling jobs. He declared emphatically that there was no reason to license any more universities, either now or in the near future, sounding jubilant and triumphant.

I had to inhale deeply before stating my opinion. A thought crossed my mind as I was deciding how best to explain my arguments: "Before you borrow money from your friend, determine which you need most—the money or the companionship. This comment was aptly fitting the recent discussion. How can I argue my case without alienating my friend, who has grown quite fervent about getting additional universities licensed? Or should I just hold back my opinions and follow along out of friendship? I had a lot of questions throughout the short time I spent thinking about it.

Even now, I'm not sure how or where I found the bravery to voice my opposing opinions. I was apprehensive at first, but I eventually acquired confidence and voiced my opinions on the contentious topic of granting licenses to more universities. Using statistical data was my initial point of appeal.  Between 1.5 million and 1.9 million candidates run for office each year.

Candidates take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination based on official records that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the organization in charge of UTME administration, provides. Additionally, the data available indicates that less than 40% of applicants, or roughly 700,000 candidates, are admitted to the university. This is not because the remaining applicants—between 800,000 and 1.2 million—failed the exam; rather, it is due to the carrying capacity, or available admission slots, in the Nigerian university system as a whole. What then happens to people who meet all the requirements for admission to a university but are nevertheless denied admission?

Once more, according to Akanni Akinyemi, a professor of demography and social statistics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria has the world's highest youth population, with almost 70% of the population under 30 and 42% under 15. The maximum age at which a secondary education can be completed under the existing system is sixteen. What would happen if the situation depicted above—limited entry spaces—remained the same? The possibilities are frightening and varied: rising rates of frustrated suicide, violent crimes, newborn parents, drug addiction, cultism, abduction—the list is limitless.

Thus, any responsible administration that is dedicated to preserving the constitution, which ensures that tertiary education is accessible to Every citizen will do everything within their power to ensure that all eligible applicants for university admission have greater access. Therefore, there is no need to argue further that Nigeria requires more universities.

While there are currently 274 universities in Nigeria that could only accommodate two million students, according to records from the then-Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, in 2021, the United Kingdom, which has a smaller population than Nigeria, has about 130 universities with over 2.8 million students as of UK universities as of 2022. He asserts that "a population of 200 million people with a total enrollment of just two million in universities translates into one percent of the population currently enrolled in the university." He believes that this foreshadows a "near crisis." Therefore, expanding admission options makes sense as a means of preventing such "near crises."

The claim that there should be no more licensing of new institutions because there are no employment or insufficient jobs for graduates from Nigerian universities seems petty and narrow-minded. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the late patriot and wise man, believed that nothing is permanent. When the late Dr. Ukpabi Azika, the East Central State Administrator, called Azikiwe a "blistering nabob of negativity" in the 1970s after Azikiwe had advised Azika on his administrative policies, Azikiwe made this statement. A coup that occurred in 1975 not long after this forced Azika from government.

Similarly, the current situation—limited employment opportunities—is not going to last, thus efforts should be directed at assembling the workforce that the economy needs.

according to the strategic and forward-thinking policies that the federal government is putting into practice, as it becomes better.

Once more, everyone should be made aware of the critical need to increase the number of university admission possibilities in order to mitigate the impacts of the vast brain drain, since the JAPA syndrome is slowly but surely becoming an epidemic. We all need to be concerned about and actively participating in the efforts to close the skills gap that the JAPA syndrome has caused in a number of different economic areas.

While it is true that there are no quick fixes for the many issues plaguing the Nigerian university system right now—such as inadequate funding, subpar facilities for teaching and learning, and staffing shortages, particularly for professors and doctorates—it is nevertheless true that putting a hold on the licensing of new universities is unquestionably not a solution. In my own country, it's a common saying that taking off one's head won't make a headache go away. I'll end here. After I stated my position, did I lose my friend? Not entirely certain. Or how do you feel?