The National Universities Commission (NUC) has presented provisional licences to 11 newly approved private universities.
They were presented with the licences in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, harped on the growing importance of private universities in the country.
According to him, they will complement the existing institutions in the Nigeria.
He explained that private universities had significantly expanded the nation’s academic landscape since the liberalisation of university education in 1999.
“From just 49 universities in 1999, 23 of which were private, Nigeria now boasts of 298 universities, with 159 (53.3%) being privately owned. The catalyst for this expansion is the increased participation of the private sector,” he said.
He said that the provisional licences are valid for three years.
The institutions, he said, will be given substantive licenses at the end of the three years if they meet the strict quality criteria.
“The provisional status is subject to close monitoring by the NUC, with full licenses to be granted only after a thorough evaluation of each institution’s compliance with regulatory standards,” he said.
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He noted that to ensure readiness for academic operations, a mandatory resource verification exercise would be conducted for all academic programmes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, noted that this would expand access to quality tertiary education.
Alausa said the importance of this initiative as a cornerstone of the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative designed to restore the glory of Nigeria’s educational system.
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“This ceremony is not only a celebration of your achievements, but also a renewed call to action in building a future-ready and globally competitive Nigerian university system,” he said.
He highlighted the urgency of steering Nigeria’s higher education toward priority fields such as STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical Sciences).
“Nigeria has more than enough social science graduates. What we need now are problem-solvers graduates with life skills who can drive industries, build infrastructure, and improve lives.
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“We must acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: while we now have 159 licensed private universities, too many are failing to meet the quality standards Nigeria demands,” he said.
Alausa added that licensing must not be symbolic but impactful.
To address this, he said NUC is undertaking a comprehensive review of quality assurance mechanisms aimed at ensuring that all licensed institutions, whether public or private, serve as genuine centres of learning, innovation, and research.
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He also encouraged private universities to collaborate with each other and form international affiliations, noting Nigeria’s potential as a hub for global education partnerships.
He added: “Private universities must rise to the challenge of delivering high-quality, relevant education that meets the demands of a modern economy.”
“With support from regulatory bodies and a renewed commitment to excellence, the newly approved institutions are expected to play a transformative role in shaping the nation’s next generation of leaders and innovators.”
In his remarks, Tony Iredia, Proprietor, Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin, pleaded with the federal government to ensure moratorium period is not long.
Iredia also said that Nigerian universities might not be doing well in research as a result of poor communication of research works.
The newly licenced universities are New City University, Aiyetoro, Ogun State; Lens University, Ilemona, Kwara State; Kevin Ezeh University, Mgbowo, Enugu State; Monarch University, Iyesi Ota, Ogun State; Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin, Edo State; Isaac Balami University of Aeronautic and Management, Lagos State.
Others are Eranova University, Kuje, FCT, Southern Atlantic University, Uyo; University of Fortune, Igbotako, Ondo State; Minaret University, Ikirun, Osun State; and Abdulrasaq Abubakar Toyin University, Ganmo, Kwara State.