- The federal government has rubbished claim that it has plans to sell universities to private investors
- The minister of education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, said what the government did was to open up the universities, for global competitiveness
- Mamman said the claim that the federal government sells universities is an absolute lie and completely false
FCT, Abuja - The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government said it has no plans to sell universities to private investors.
The minister of education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this while reacting to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) claim that the FG plans to hand over federal universities to investors through public-private partnerships.
According to The Punch, Mamman said the federal government policy allowed for transnational education.
“There is no plan to sell off universities to investors.”
He explained that transnational education is a policy to open up Nigerian tertiary education by taking people from the rest of the world to come and invest in the nation’s tertiary system.
“Some people are carrying information that the Federal Government is selling off to private investors its universities. This is an absolute lie and completely false.
He added that:
“The private sector will play a major role in the provision of tertiary education, as there are more private universities in Nigeria than public universities combined.
“What this government has done is to open up the tertiary education level, in particular the universities, for global competitiveness.”
Tinubu pledges autonomy to Nigerian universities
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu said he is convinced that granting autonomy to Nigerian universities will bring about excellence.
Tinubu said his administration is committed to repositioning tertiary institutions in the country. The president said his government plans to put universities on a pedestal that would enable them to compete with their counterparts in any part of the world.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Engr. Abubakar Momoh disclosed that Tinubu’s administration is working towards the introduction of a policy that will grant full autonomy to universities.
.. Source: Legit.ng
