The National Universities Commission has approved the Niger State University of Education as the 270th university in the country.
The approval letter was formally presented to the governor of the state, Mohammed Bago, by the Acting Executive Secretary of the NUC at the commission’s head office in Abuja.
This was disclosed on Thursday, by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Bologi Ibrahim, in a statement.
According to the statement, Bago expressed gratitude to the NUC for the reactivation and approval of a process that, he said, started over a decade ago.
“There is a deficit in Educational facilities hence, my administration is desirous of making Niger State “the Massachusetts of Nigeria.
“Funding the University will not be a problem as an Education Trust Fund law is already in place mandating 1% of every State Government contract to go into the Trust Fund,” Bago said.
He appealed to the NUC to expedite the approval of Medicine in the Ibrahim Babangida University Lapai for the full take-off of medical courses in the institution.
He also said that he was confident that the upgrade of the Federal College of Education, Kontagora, to a University of Education signed by the Buhari administration would soon come to fruition.
Worried by the volume of graduates without vocational skills despite the limitless opportunities for white-collar jobs, the governor stated that his administration would change the narrative by establishing a hub for vocational training
The Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Mayaki, congratulated the state government for revalidating and completing the process of establishing the state university of education.
While pledging the full support of the NUC, Mayaki called on the state government to utilize the advisory role of the commission for professional and technical advice needed for sustainable funding and operation of the University.
The idea of converting the state College of Education to the University of Education was conceived by the Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu administration in 2013 and it was recognised as a duly established university in the Nigerian university system by the NUC on the 8th May, 2015.
The state university of education is now listed as the 270th university in Nigeria with effect from 28th September 2023, making it the second state-owned university.
