Hard times lie ahead for proprietors of private universities as the National Universities Commission, NUC, has increased from N5 million to N25 million for the purchase and processing of applications for new private universities.
Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, also announced the suspension of all inactive applications including those of private open universities for a period of one year.
Ribadu explained that the one-year suspension affects applicants that have not made progress on their applications or made submissions to the Commission for upwards of two years.
The NUC boss said the review of the application fee and other guidelines for establishment of private universities was in line with the provisions of the Education, National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions, Act, CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He added that the law empowers the commission to provide guidelines for the establishment of all private universities in the country.
According to him, the fee for purchase of application forms for the establishment of a private university is reviewed from N1 million Naira to N5 million while the processing fee for the application is reviewed from N5 million to N25 million.
“The NUC will convey the reviewed Processing Fee of Twenty-Five Million (N25,000,000.00) Naira to applicants that have purchased Application Forms only.
UCH Power Outage: UI Medical Students Protest as Minister Visits
Clinical Students of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, on Monday, laid siege for the visit of Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, to the University College Hospital (UCH), to protest power outage at the hospital.
The students expressed their grievances, saying they were tired of the over 100-day power outage at UCH.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, and the IBEDC management were at UCH over the lingering power outage during the protest.
The students displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We are tired of 100 days of darkness; Save UCH” among others.
They insisted that the minister must find solution to the outage, which, they said, had disrupted their academic and clinical activities.
The Student Union President, Bolaji Aweda, said that the students demanded immediate restoration of power to UCH.
According to him, the 50 per cent waiver the government promised to tertiary healthcare institutions should be implemented.
The students also requested for an urgent reformation of the health sector among others.
In his response, the minister assured that the government and the UCH management team would look into the real issues and causes of the power outage.
Adelabu promised to proffer a permanent solution to the situation and that the institution would soon be reconnected by IBEDC.
NAN recalls IBEDC disconnected UCH from the national grid on Oct. 27 due to accumulated debts.
NAN
