Federal Government Slams Brakes on Tertiary Institution Proliferation
The Federal Government has approved a sweeping seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in what it describes as a decisive move to stop wasteful expansion and refocus on quality.
The decision was taken on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a memo from Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Alausa said access to tertiary education is “no longer the problem”. Instead, he noted, Nigeria is grappling with an unchecked duplication of federal institutions—leading to alarming inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and declining student enrolment.
“Waste of Resources” and Alarming Under-Enrolment
Painting a troubling picture, the Minister revealed that some federal universities operate far below capacity, with one northern institution having 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students.
“This is a waste of government resources,” he said. “Today, we have 199 universities where fewer than 100 candidates applied through JAMB for admission. In fact, 34 universities recorded zero applications.”
The trend, he added, is not limited to universities. Out of 295 polytechnics nationwide, many had fewer than 99 applicants last year, while 219 colleges of education recorded similarly poor enrolment. In total, 64 colleges of education had no applicants at all.
Alausa warned that if the situation continues, Nigeria risks producing poorly trained graduates, losing international respect for its degrees, and worsening unemployment as thousands of ill-prepared graduates enter an already saturated job market.
Focus Shifts to Strengthening Existing Institutions
The ban, he explained, will allow the government to mobilise resources to upgrade facilities, recruit qualified staff, and expand the carrying capacity of existing federal tertiary 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. This way, we can sustain the respect the world has for our graduates,” Alausa stressed.
Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside hundreds of state and privately run institutions, as well as specialised colleges for agriculture, health sciences, nursing, and innovation—many of which also suffer from low enrolment.
Nine Private Universities Get Approval Amid Freeze
Despite the freeze on federal institutions, the FEC approved nine new private universities—applications that had been pending for over six years but had already passed rigorous evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“When we came in, there were about 551 applications for private universities. Many had been in limbo for years because of inefficiencies in the NUC’s processing system,” Alausa explained.
The Ministry deactivated over 350 inactive applications and introduced strict new guidelines with clear timelines. Out of 79 active applications, nine met the criteria and were approved.
“These are private investments where billions of naira have already been spent on infrastructure. It would have been unfair to deny them approval because of past inefficiencies. But this does not affect the moratorium on federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education,” the Minister emphasised.
A similar moratorium is already in place for new private polytechnics and colleges of education to prevent a further glut of under-subscribed institutions.
“Reset Button” for Nigeria’s Tertiary Education System
The education minister hailed President Tinubu for backing the reforms, describing the seven-year freeze as a reset button that will shift focus from quantity to quality.
“Mr. President believes fervently in education and has given us the mandate to ensure every Nigerian has access to the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world,” he said.
The government insists the measure is not a retreat. But a strategic pause to restore Nigeria’s global academic reputation. Which will ensure that tertiary institutions deliver graduates capable of competing anywhere in the world.