Institutional Empowerment Strategies for Academic Service Delivery Sustainability in Nigerian Private Universities

Abstract

Every modern organization particularly in the private sector that desires sustainability must ensure 
effective and efficient service delivery. It is also the general belief that the private sector led 
economy is usually more efficient and sustainable given considerate government support in terms 
of enabling laws and infrastructure. The Nigerian university system currently has 111 private, 49 
federal and 57 state approved universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC). 
Therefore, one would naturally expect the private universities in Nigeria to offer the best in terms 
of attaining the university goals of effective teaching and learning, multi-disciplinary insightful 
researches towards providing potent solutions to national woes as well as all inclusive and 
impactful community service delivery. However, the current reality does not reflect expected 
outcomes from private universities despite outnumbering the public universities in Nigeria. No 
university in Nigeria was among the best Ten (10) in Africa nor among the best Three Hundred 
(300) globally in the 2022 rating of universities across the globe. This paper used qualitative 
approach to identifying and finding solutions to problems bedeviling attainment of quality service 
delivery in private universities in Nigeria. The paper also suggested measures through which this 
disheartening service gap could be minimized or eliminated through enhanced institutional 
supports to academic workforce in this educational subsystem.