Private Universities in Nigeria Not on Solid Footing, Amund, Oyewole Warn: ‘I Own It’ Syndrome May Kill Many Varsities

Experts have posited that the idea of private Universities in Nigeria is not working and that many of these institutions 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.

Prof 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, and this, he argued, threatens their survival.

Speaking in concurrence, Prof Oyewole, erstwhile Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said the private institutions are on shaky grounds to the extent that many of the varsities are not viable and may not survive for long.

Prof 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 Prof 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 Prof 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.”