Recently the Senate passed some bills for assent to the presidency for the establishment of nine new tertiary institutions, which will add to the existing 43 universities, 28 polytechnics and 22 colleges of education in the country.
The reasons lawmakers gave for establishing more tertiary institutions in the select locations were increased access to tertiary institutions and the need for federal presence.
However, the existing institutions, stakeholders have complained, lack adequate funding so much so that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union all went on strike at one time or another in 2018 to insist on better funding for tertiary institutions.
The unions have collectively called on President Muhammadu Buhari to delay assent to the bills until the existing institutions are functioning at optimum capacity. Read more
