Peter Obi Advocates for a Minimum of 1,000 Universities in Nigeria

Peter Obi, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government and a key opposition figure, has expressed that Nigeria should have no fewer than 1,000 universities, citing insights from his visit to Indonesia.

Mr. Obi, who previously served as the governor of Anambra State and was a presidential candidate in the 2023 election, made this statement while sharing key takeaways from his visit to Asian countries.

The former governor of Anambra pointed out that Indonesia has approximately 4,000 universities and argued that since Nigeria’s population is nearly 80% of Indonesia’s, the country should have at least 1,000 universities.

“As we all know, the more educated a country is, the more developed it becomes.”

“At the tertiary level, Indonesia has over 4,000 universities, while Nigeria has less than 10% of that—despite having a population that is about 80% of Indonesia’s. Based on this ratio, we should have at least 1,000 universities,” Mr. Obi said.

He further stated, “We discussed Indonesia’s educational system, which serves about 50 million pupils at the basic education level with over 3 million teachers.”

According to Mr. Obi, Indonesia has successfully implemented a strict compulsory basic education policy, which has resulted in a 99% school enrollment rate and significantly reduced the number of out-of-school children.

The Nigerian politician also revealed that Indonesia allocates 20% of its annual budget to education, emphasizing that the country prioritizes “a critical pillar of national development.”

Based on data from Statista, Nigeria currently has 125 public universities, with 63 owned by the 36 states and 62 managed and funded by the federal government.

Mr. Obi’s push for an increase in the number of universities comes at a time when public universities in Nigeria are struggling with inadequate infrastructure.