Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University, has expressed concerns about the increasing number of universities being approved across Nigeria without thorough checks.
He believes this growing trend could have severe consequences for the quality of education in the country, as institutions may be created without adequate facilities or proper academic structures in place.
While speaking at a research and journal workshop held at ABUAD in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, he disclosed: “When things were done differently in the past, the process was more rigorous.
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“What do we have today? Mass approval of mushroom and substandard universities, with some lacking even the basic learning facilities and infrastructure.
“As a result of this anything-goes syndrome, the approach to university licensing and accreditation and NUC’s ability to ensure quality control and to stamp out substandard institutions have been seriously compromised.
Babalola noted that Nigeria currently has over 270 approved universities, and proposals for the approval of another 200 are already being reviewed by the National Assembly. According to him, the priority now appears to be numbers rather than standards or excellence in education.
“The focus seems to have shifted from quality to quantity, with over 270 universities currently in Nigeria and proposals for another 200 under consideration.”
Babalola emphasises the need for quality education, stating that poor education is worse than illiteracy.
He further stressed that meaningful national development is dependent on strong academic institutions built on sound research and innovation. Without addressing the declining quality of education, he warned, the country risks producing poorly trained graduates who are ill-equipped to drive progress or compete globally.
