Nigerian Govt Imposes 7-year Ban On Establishment Of New Tertiary Institutions, Cites Systemic Decay

The Nigerian Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, citing the need to halt systemic decay and improve the quality of tertiary education in the country.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision after Wednesday’s FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Alausa, the ban addresses the duplication of new federal tertiary institutions that have weakened the capacity of existing schools and degraded physical infrastructure and human resources.

If we want to improve quality and not be a laughing stock globally, the pragmatic step is to pause the establishment of new federal institutions,” he said.

Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities, alongside similar growth in polytechnics and colleges of education. Alausa pointed to a northern university with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff as an example of unsustainable operations.

The minister described the moratorium as a bold corrective measure aimed at upgrading existing institutions, improving infrastructure, boosting workforce, and increasing their carrying capacity.

While the freeze applies to new federal institutions, the FEC approved the establishment of nine new private universities. These approvals were part of a backlog of 79 applications, some pending for more than six years, due to delays at the National Universities Commission (NUC).

When we assumed office, there were 551 applications for private universities. Many had been stuck due to inefficiencies at the NUC. We deactivated over 350 dormant applications and set new, stricter guidelines. Of the 79 active cases, nine met the criteria and were approved, he said.

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