LAGOS MAY 11TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The federal government Thursday granted provisional license to newly approved private university of Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo, Delta State.
Edwin Clark University is owned by the former Federal Commissioner for Information, and prominent Ijaw elder, Chief Edwin Clark.
It has the former Zenith Bank Managing Director, Mr. Jim Ovia as Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), while the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Head of Service of the Federation, Oladapo Afolabi and Professor Anya O. Anya as members of the BoT.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, while speaking at the ceremony, said private universities have contributed to the opening up of admission space for the rising population of candidates seeking university education.
Shekarau added that the growth of private universities in Nigeria has created an environment for healthy competition.
“Government is aware that countries that are consistently well ranked in human development indices have, in recognition of the important role of universities in human capital development maintained a respectable number of universities relative to their populations,” the minister said.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, explained that the creation of the additional institutions is to address the challenge of low carrying capacity of the nation’s tertiary institutions.
He also lamented that some Nigerians prefer foreign education at the expense of massive government investment in the sector.
Okojie noted that Ghana and other African countries which have become choice destinations for education for Nigerians do not possess more quality education. Clark was absent at the ceremony.
Both universities will kick off with Faculty of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences and Faculty of Science.