He said the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, had put in place a panel to work on the list.
The NUC Executive Secretary said the councils would be inaugurated once the list was consummated.
Maiyaki spoke at a media parley with education reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.https://360playvid.info/slidepleer/videoIframe.html?fn=s1184s#amp=1
He was responding to the two-week ultimatum issued by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to the government to reconstitute the governing councils of public universities.
ASUU had on Tuesday given the government a two-week ultimatum to reconstitute the governing councils of federal universities.
“To reconstitute the councils of 61 universities is not a small feat. The government is working to ensure that people who are qualified and with the right pedigree are put in those councils so that they can deliver on Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. We know ASUU is a body of academics and are concerned about the welfare of their members and the activities in universities but we want them to be patient with the government during this period.”
Speaking on the number of universities in the country, the NUC boss said the commission was committed to expanding access to higher education.
“And for this, the current 272 universities in the NUS are not sufficient to accommodate the ever-growing demand for university education by Nigerian youths. “Each year, Nigerian universities receive close to two million applications, only a small fraction of them are admitted.
That is why there is a need for Nigeria to continue to increase access by establishing more universities to meet the demand for quality education in the country,” Maiyaki said.