By Felix Khanoba
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration appears to have forgotten the South-East geo-political zone in the location of newly established federal universities.
While about 10 federal universities have been established by the present administration since 2018, none is located in any of the five states in the South-East region that include Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Findings by The AUTHORITY revealed that the federal universities that came on board under the present administration include; Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko,-2018, Delta State; Airforce Institute of Technology, Kaduna – 2018; Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State – 2018, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State – 2020 and Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State – 2020.
Others are the recently announced University of Technology, Jigawa, University of Technology, Akwa Ibom State, Health Sciences University, Azare, Bauchi State, Health Sciences University, Ila Orangun, Osun State and Aviation University, Abuja.
Information gathered from the National Universities Commission (NUC) also shows that the South-East is the only zone that none of its states can boast of two federal universities.
In the South-South, Delta State has Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko. Akwa Ibom has University of Uyo and the new University of Technology while the South-West is not left out with Osun State parading Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and the new University of Health Science, Ila Orangun.
In the North Central zone, Benue State can now boast of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi and the University of Health Sciences, Otukpo while Abuja plays host to University of Abuja, the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria and the University of Aviation.
The North East geo-political zone is not left out with Borno having two federal universities; University of Maiduguri and the Nigerian Army University, Biu. Bauchi also has two of such institutions; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and the new Federal University of Technology, Azare.
In the North West, Kaduna State has Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria Defence Academy and Airforce Institute of Technology. Kebbi parades Federal University, Birnin Kebbi and Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru.
Also in the North-West, Jigawa State has Federal University, Dutse and the new University of Technology while Kano State has Bayero University and the Nigeria Police Academy (same status with University).
While the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who hails from Bauchi State and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono from Benue, may likely get credit for attracting two of the new universities to their states, same cannot be said of the Imo-born Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
But speaking during a press briefing on the new universities in Abuja, recently, Adamu Adamu said the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, alongside three others in the country would be upgraded and equipped.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Adamu listed the other three universities to benefit from such a gesture to include, Federal University, Minna, Federal University, Akure and Federal University, Yola.
