The Federal Government has announced a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, citing the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, overstretched resources, and declining academic standards.
In a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday, the decision was approved at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
Despite the freeze, FEC approved nine new universities, all of them private institutions whose applications had been pending for up to six years and had undergone full evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Dr Alausa said the challenge in Nigeria’s tertiary education system was no longer access but “inefficient duplication, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and dwindling enrolment in many existing institutions”.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources,” he stated.
The minister disclosed that 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) last year, with 34 recording zero applications. Of the 295 polytechnics nationwide, many had fewer than 99 applicants, while 219 colleges of education also posted poor enrolment figures, including 64 with no applications at all.
Dr Alausa warned that unchecked proliferation of poorly subscribed institutions risked “producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally, and worsening unemployment”.
He explained that the moratorium would allow government to focus resources on upgrading facilities, hiring qualified staff, and expanding the carrying capacity of existing institutions.
“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, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside hundreds of state-owned and private tertiary institutions, as well as specialised schools such as colleges of agriculture, health sciences, and nursing.
Clarifying the approval of nine new universities, Dr Alausa said: “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.”
