‘Private varsities abroad thrive on patronage of Nigerian students’

MANY private universities abroad are sustained through the high patronage they enjoy from Nigerian students, the Vice Chancellor, Veritas University (VUNA), Abuja, Prof. Michael Kwanashie has disclosed.

He also insisted that some of those institutions in neighbouring countries and in other parts of the globe would close shop if Nigerian students studying there were to pull out.

Kwanashie, who spoke recently in Abuja, said the emergence of private universities in the country was in response to the quest for better access to education, adding that the inadequacy of public universities in the country was one of the factors that compelled Nigerian parents to send their children to foreign private universities.

The vice chancellor, while reacting to claims that these private institutions were elitist and expensive, maintained that such assertions do not apply to faith-based universities such as Veritas.

According to him, a student does not need to come from a rich family before attending his university, as the institution was not profit-oriented, but established to render service to humanity.

“Private universities in Ghana, Malaysia and Eastern Europe are thriving on the basis of Nigerian students.

Even in Britain, many private universities thrive on Nigerian students. That is why they always come here to recruit. So, that was why we said to ourselves, why can’t we set up private universities here and give students the same thing they get abroad,” he stated.

The university administrator who said the school was ‘creating the same environment where every student matters’ as obtained abroad, added that: “Some of those universities would fold up if Nigerian students are withdrawn. It is important that we create the supply to meet the demand for private universities.’