The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the establishment of 20 additional private universities in the country.
The council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, reached the decision based on a memo presented before it by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.
Nine of the private universities are located in North Central, three in South South, two in South East, five of them in North West and one in South West.
The minister, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting said the approved universities will get their provisional licenses from the National Universities Commission (NUC), and would be given provisional licence to run for the next three years to assess their progress.
He gave the names of the approved institutions as Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State; Thomas Adewumi University, Oko-Irese, Kwara State; Maranathan University, Mgbidi, Imo State; Ave Maria University, Piyanko, Nasarawa State, and Al-Istiqama University, Sumaila, Kano State.
Mudiame University, Irrua, Edo State; Havilla University, Nde-Ikom, Cross River State; Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede, Imo State; NOK University, Kachia, Kaduna State and Karl-Kumm University, Vom, Plateau State.
Also approved are James Hope University, Lagos, Lagos State; Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Kano, Kano State; Capital City University, Kano, Kano State; Ahman Pategi University, Pategi, Kwara State, and University of Offa, Offa, Kwara State.
Others include Mewar University, Masaka, Nasarawa State, Edusoko University, Bida, Niger State; Philomath University, Kuje, Abuja; Khadija University, Majia, Jigawa State and Anan University, Kwall, Plateau State.
