Experts have posited that the idea of private universities in Nigeria is not working and that many of them might face imminent extinction due to proprietor mentality and other factors having to do with weak foundations in their governance structure.
The assertion was made by two former vice-chancellors, Emeritus Prof Olukayode Amund and Prof Olusola Oyewole who is currently Secretary-General, Association of African Universities, AAU, based in Accra, Ghana.
They spoke as guest speakers on the popular monthly interview discourse, Boiling Point Arena, hosted by a seasoned media professional and public relations strategist, Dr Ayo Arowojolu.
Amund, a retired University of Lagos, Akoka, don and former Vice-Chancellor, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, raised the alarm that the proprietors of many of the private universities were micro-managing the institutions.
That, he argued, threatened their survival.
Speaking in concurrence, Oyewole, erstwhile Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said the private institutions were on shaky grounds to the extent that many of the varsities were not viable and might not survive for long.
Amund stated: “The incursion of private universities into the university system in Nigeria is a welcome development. And it’s very encouraging, actually, because the best universities in America are private universities. Examples are Stanford University and Yale University.
“But in Nigeria, it is a mixed grill. We have very good ones. And we have ones that are just in infancy, that are still coming up. But my own submission is that private universities in Nigeria are for the future.
“Because as at today, they have myriads of problems militating and they are a problem to themselves for now. What I see is that those universities will come up, like Stanford, when the proprietors are no more.
“That might be in another 20, 30 years, when the proprietors are all gone. Then, those universities will be run by Foundations according to the law, establishing them when due process will be followed. For now, they are suffering from ‘I own it Syndrome’.
“What is happening now is the Vice-Chancellors are not given a free hand to run those universities. And when you don’t have a leader that has free hand to operate, that kills his vision and cannot work outside the interest of the proprietor.”
For Oyewole, his drift is that based on an analysis carried out on private universities in Nigeria, the outcome is that many of them are not viable.
Said Oyewole: “The private institutions are not able to attract an adequate number of students that can make them to be viable. They are more or less ignoring quality standards in certain situations in order to attract more. It’s like anything goes just because they want to break even and encourage patronage.
“As mentioned by Prof Amund, the leadership are not giving free hand to operate. And another thing is that those working there do not have job security. They are looking for every opportunity to join government institutions. And this is making the future not to be good for private universities.”
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