Nigeria don’t need more universities – Prof Oloyede, JAMB Registrar

• Advocates Sharia panels in the South-West region of the country
  

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Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said that the country does not need more universities.

Oloyede said this in an interview with Channels TV on the Sunday, where he also advocated the importance of Sharia panels in the South-West region of the country.

Professor Oloyede, who is also the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, said “If there is a dispute in my marriage, where do I go?

“I will have to go to customary court where the customary judge knows next to nothing about my faith, about the laws on the basis on which we got married.

“He would now use customary law to determine Islamic marriage and the Constitution of Nigeria allows it to say where the state of assembly allows it, there should be Sharia Courts of Appeal.”

Responding to a question on calls for more universities, as thousands of students do not get admission into the universities every year, he called for expansion.

“It’s neither here not there. Those who say we need more universities have their reasons. But they are very simplistic in their analyses.

“I believe if we expand the capacities of the current universities, especially at the Federal level, they can perform better.

“For example, the University of Ibadan’s quota can be 200 in medicine. But if its facilities are expanded it can take 600 or 800 students.

“If you establish 10 universities today, even if you call them specialised colleges like you have in Otupko, they will be able to admit 200 after 10 years.

“Whereas, if you expand an already existing universities, they will take in what two or three (new) institutions will take.

“I believe very strongly that when it come to universities, we need expansion of facilities not creation of new ones.

“But it has its political advantage. Universities are now the only thing to show ‘We love you in this community’. Because there are no factories, universities appear to be the only valuable thing left.”