Veritas University, Abuja (The Catholic University of Nigeria)

The Vice-Chancellor of Veritas Univeristy, Abuja, Professor Justin S. Ukpong has called on private Universities in the Country to strive for high academic standards in order to help the growth of the educational sector in Nigeria.
 
Professor Ukpong who made this call during the ceremony that saw to the take off of the Obehie Campus of the University in Abia State, said the number of private universities in Nigeria is not a source of worry, but will be if the private Universities did not really measure up to a University standard, nationally and internationally.
 
He said at the moment, Nigeria has 34 private Universities, 27 Federal Universities and 34 State Universities that were licensed by the Federal government to operate under the Education (National Minimum Standards etc) Act CAP E3 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and expressed delight that some private Universities in Nigeria are to some extentsetting the pace for the country, considering the role of education in the rebranding programme of the present government.
 
Professor Ukpong who had taught in many Universities in Nigeria and the United States of America, hinted that top Universities in the U.S.A are not government owned, but privately owned ones. "They are far better than government Universities" he said.
 
Speaking onthe Veritas University, which is the Catholic University of Nigeria, he stated thathe would want to see that the University comes out among the best Universitiesin the world, with an academic culture excellence.
 
Th V-C who is also Reverend Father and Professor of New Testament  in Biblical studies, maintained that Veritas which means truth, was inspired by the principles of Jesus Christ and has to maintain same.
 
(Also published on the Daily Sun and Daily Independent Newspapers of Monday 20th April, 2009)