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JUST IN: FG opposes N/Assembly’s proposals for 200 new varsities
The federal government has expressed opposition to the proposals by the National Assembly for creation of nearly 200 new universities in the country.
It said with almost 200 bills in the National Assembly for establishment of new universities, there is a growing concern that the system is becoming overwhelmed.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated this in Abuja yesterday during the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing.
The country currently has 278 universities, 64 of which are federal; 67, state; and 147, private.
The government had, last month, announced a one-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities “to enhance the quality and sustainability of private universities, ensuring that only institutions with the necessary financial and academic capacity are granted licenses.”
The minister yesterday emphasised that strengthening the capacities of the existing universities is more important than establishing new ones.
He said: “They (lawmakers) are passing a lot of bills. Today, I can tell you that there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue like this.
Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there. What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens.
“We need to stop this (the 200 bills for new universities) from happening. There is so much pressure on the president. We have to, at least, be sensitive to it as well.
“I understand the sentiment of our legislators. They want to show that they are working. We know they are working. But then, we have enough assets, we have enough opportunities out there for students to go to universities.
“What we now need to do is to begin to mobilise more resources to develop infrastructures, build engineering workshops, build laboratories in these universities, recruit international standard teachers, so that we can begin to get these universities to develop, to deliver high quality of education that will be known for as a country.
“Today, if you care to know, we have 64 federal universities, 67 state universities and 147 private universities.
If you look at the entire enrolment together, the private universities account for just 7.5% of total undergraduate enrolment.
I will tell you the meaning of the number. The total number of undergraduate enrolments today is just about 875,000, which is, at least, fairly low.
“We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there is this intense demand for more universities to be opened. We have to stop that.”
however, it is not only the legislators that are obsessed with pushing for the establishing of universities as constituency project or for status symbol.
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May Agbamuche-Mbu Takes Over as INEC Acting Chairman
In recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger(CON).
• From left: Agbamuche-Mbu, and Mahmood Yakubu during the handover ceremony
Professor Mahmood Yakubu has stepped down as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Yakubu on Monday handed over to a National Commissioner of the commission, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who steps in in acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chairman.
Meanwhile , Yakubu was first appointed in November 2015 as the 14th chairman of the commission for an initial term of five years.
The appointment, which was renewed in 2020, has now expired due to the passage of time.
President Tinubu thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and his efforts to sustain Nigeria’s democracy, particularly through the organisation of free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.
In recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger(CON).
President Tinubu also directed that Professor Yakubu should hand over to the most senior national commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will direct the affairs of the commission until the completion of the process to appoint a successor.
In the letter dated October 3, 2025, Professor Yakubu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015.
News
Retired Air Vice Marshal Obierika dies mid-air on British Airways flight
Obierika, a retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), was a former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Training Command, Kaduna and a directing staff at the National Defence College, Abuja.
A British Airways (BA) flight from London to Abuja was forced to make an emergency diversion to Barcelona, Spain, after Prof. Osita Obierika, died mid-air.
Obierika, a retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), was a former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Training Command, Kaduna and a directing staff at the National Defence College, Abuja.
It was gathered that the aircraft departed London’s Heathrow Airport at 11pm on Sunday, October 5 and was to arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by 5am on Monday.
However, around 1:30am, the pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted to El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain.
The Octogenarian was said to have been returning to Nigeria from the United Kingdom where he was being treated for cancer.
News
JUST IN: Fire guts Rivers Secretariat
Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Information, Dr Honour Sirawoo, confirmed the incident saying fire fighters intervened immediately to stop the inferno.
Fire has engulfed a section of the Rivers State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt destroying some property.
Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Information, Dr Honour Sirawoo, confirmed the incident saying fire fighters intervened immediately to stop the inferno.
It was gathered that the inferno started at the ground floor of one of the tall buildings popularly called the Podium after the close of work and spread to the office of the newly constituted Rivers State Pension Board.
Sources said the fire started around 4.00pm and was reportedly caused by an electrical fault, though there was no casualty.
Rivers Head of Service, Dr Inyinge Brown, confirmed that no life was lost saying she was happy that the recently rehabilitated State Fire Service was on ground to quench the fire.
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