Private Sector Participation and the Development of University Education in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, 1999-2021: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

The main thrust of this paper is to historicise the involvement of the private sector in the development of university education in Nigeria in the Fourth Republic. While the first set of private universities began during the Second Republic, the year 1999 marked the commencement of the birth of the second set of private universities in Nigeria. The year 2021 was when the last batch of private universities was granted provisional licences of operation by the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission. There is no doubt that the history of educational development in Nigeria has its origin in the activities of the private sector, that is, Christian missions. Their involvement in the development of western education in the country between the late 19th and 20th centuries was mainly confined to the provision of primary and secondary education. Up to the birth of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the provision of university education in the country was exclusively the responsibility of both the Federal and the State governments. Although an attempt was made during the Second Republic, 1979–1983, to encourage private sector participation, this eventually failed. The present paper argues that availability and accessibility to high-quality university education can be meaningfully achieved through public-private collaboration as seen in developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Active involvement of non-state actors would help the government to mobilize financial resources to meet more pressing public service needs. The methodology adopted for this work is historical, qualitative and quantitative, utilising materials from both primary and secondary sources.