The Federal Executive Council has approved the establishment of four new private universities in Nigeria.
The new universities are Greenfield University, Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan Oyo State; Trinity University, Ogun State and Westland University in Iwo, Osun State.
The Minister of Education, ADAMU Adamu said the approvals were given because the four universities met the criteria for establishing universities following visitations by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The approvals bring the number of private universities in Nigeria to 79.
Before today’s approval, the total number of universities in the country, with over 150 million population, was 160 (40 federal universities, 45 state-owned universities and 75 private universities).
One more – Bowen University- was approved in 2001 before Benson Idahosa University, Covenant University and Pan-Atlantic University were added a year later.
The number has since ballooned with the federal government approving, in 2017, Admiralty Univerity, Ibusa, Delta State; Spiritan University, Nneochi, Abia State; Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan; Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Atiba University, Oyo State; and Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences, Lagos.
Skyline University, Kano, was the only one licensed in 2017.