The Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, has argued against the establishment of more universities in the country.

While speaking as a guest on Channels Television, Oloyede said that the improvement of facilities in existing universities is a substitute for the establishment of more universities.

According to him, Nigerians who make a case for the establishment of more universities are simplistic in their analysis.

“Those who are arguing that we need more universities have their points. They are looking at the issue from a simplistic point of view and are very simplistic in their analysis,” he said.

“I believe that if we expand some of the universities, particularly at the federal level, they can perform better than what we have.”

He added that if established, newly created universities would spend years before they can attain the capacity of existing universities in terms of numbers of admitted students.

While using the University of Ibadan medicine programme as a case study, he noted that the university’s quota for medicine is 200, but has the capacity to admit between 600 and 800 students if the laboratories are expanded and well-equipped.

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“If you establish ten universities today, even if you call them specialised colleges like ones in Ila Orangun or Otupo and establish them to be able to admit 200, they will spend 10 years. Whereas you have a university that already has 200 and that once you expand will take what one, two or three institutions can take.”

Oloyede attributed the demand for creation of more universities by certain groups to the dearth of industries in some communities.

He added that some of their demands are political in nature.

“I believe very strongly that when it comes to universities my position is that we need expansion of facilities, not creation, but it has its political advantage. Everyone wants a university in their local government,” he said.

“It is because the elites have destroyed what you can show. Universities have become the only thing to be shown that we love you in this community. Because there are no factories, many people are arguing for universities because that appears to be the only valuable thing left they can point at and show.”

Oloyede also recommended the creation of more industries as many have become defunct over the years.