With the recent licensing of the Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (BSUAST), Nigeria now boasts a total of 299 universities, 68 of which are owned by state governments. On the surface, this represents a significant leap forward for higher education. However, beneath the numbers lies a maze of problems that experts, lecturers, and students say must be urgently addressed.
According to Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the new BSUAST has the potential to become Nigeria’s top institution for agriculture and technology—if properly funded and managed. However, that “if” is the real issue.
Many state universities are already struggling to survive. Dr Tunde Akinola, a senior lecturer at one of the older state universities in the Southwest, says the current trend is unsustainable. “It is easy for state governors to launch new universities for political gain. However, paying salaries and maintaining standards is the real test. Some of us have not received full salaries in months,” he lamented.
Funding is the elephant in the room. Several state-owned universities are struggling with infrastructural decay, outdated laboratories, and poor internet access. “We have universities with no functioning libraries or hostels. How do you expect quality research and teaching in that kind of environment?” asks education policy analyst Dr Hadiza Mohammed.
Another issue is governance. Experts point out that many state universities are run more like political departments of state governments than independent academic institutions. Governing councils are often comprised of political loyalists rather than education professionals, resulting in poor decision-making.
“I served on a university council where the governor’s office decided everything,” said a former member of a state university governing Board who asked not to be named. “There was no room for academic freedom or long-term planning.”
There is also the issue of course duplication. Many state universities offer the same programmes—mass communication, political science, business administration—without considering market demand or industry needs. “Why not focus on specialised courses like agriculture, mining, or renewable energy based on the needs of the region?” asks Dr Mohammed.
Worse still is the competition among state universities for students and lecturers. In some states, there are two or more universities located barely 100 km apart, competing for the same set of applicants. “This is not competition; it is cannibalism,” says Dr Akinola. “We are producing graduates without skills or jobs waiting for them.”
Nevertheless, there is hope. Stakeholders believe that with the right reforms, state universities can fulfil their promise. These include granting genuine autonomy to university management, increasing education budgets, improving infrastructure, and aligning university programmes with economic realities.
For now, while the birth of BSUAST adds to the growing number of universities, the real question remains: Are we building institutions that can truly educate, innovate and transform our society, or just erecting more signboards?
