By Jimmy Jackson
The Federal Government has described false claims and allegations being carried out in some quarters that it planned to hand over public universities to private investors.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, while responding to the allegation on Tuesday in Abuja, said this was an absolute lie and completely false.
Mamman made the clarification at the second quarterly engagement of the ministry with heads of units and chief executive officers of parastatals and agencies under the ministry.
According to him, the federal government was opening up tertiary education for investment through the transnational education policy.
He said: ”There is no plan to sell off universities to investors. Some people are carrying information that the federal government is selling off to private investors in its universities. This is an absolute lie and completely false.
“This government believes in our public institutions. However, as we all know this government has reforms that this country needs.
“The private sector will play a major role in the provision of tertiary education as there are more private universities in Nigeria than public universities combined.
“What this government has done is to open up the tertiary education level in particular the universities for global competitiveness.”
Mamman who stressed the need for university operators at the international level to set up institutions for themselves or in collaboration with local universities in the country, added that Nigeria must take a cue from other climes in other to benefit from the advantage of transnational education.
“In other parts of the world like Asia, they have benefited immensely from having international institutions in those countries.
