Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa
Federal Executive Council (FEC) has instituted a seven-year prohibition on creating new federal tertiary institutions.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday following a council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
“This moratorium covers all federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education,” Alausa stated, emphasizing the need to curb the uncontrolled proliferation of institutions. He highlighted that the rapid increase in institutions has led to overstretched resources, diminished infrastructure, and a decline in educational standards.
“The unchecked expansion has caused a significant strain on institutional capacity, leading to a decline in quality and global competitiveness,” he noted.
Alausa pointed out the imbalance in Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape, which currently includes 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities, alongside numerous polytechnics and colleges of education.
“We see institutions, like one northern university, with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff, which is simply unsustainable,” he remarked.
The minister described the decision as a strategic move by the Tinubu administration to prioritize the revitalization of existing institutions. “Our focus will be on enhancing infrastructure, increasing manpower, and boosting the capacity of current institutions to ensure Nigerian graduates remain globally competitive,” Alausa affirmed.
Despite the ban, the FEC approved nine new private universities from a backlog of 79 pending applications. “Some investors have waited over six years, having already invested billions in building campuses,” Alausa explained.
He said: “Reforms at the National Universities Commission (NUC) have streamlined the approval process, enabling us to clear this backlog efficiently.”
This bold policy aims to strengthen Nigeria’s education system, ensuring sustainable growth and maintaining the global reputation of its graduates.
