FG Halts Creation of New Tertiary Institutions for 7 Years

From Ufuoma Omojirhe 

The Federal Government has announced a seven-year freeze on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The policy was approved on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

The move is to address what it described as the “wasteful proliferation” of under-utilised institutions, dwindling resources, and declining academic standards.

Despite the freeze, FEC cleared the establishment of nine private universities, which Alausa said had been pending for up to six years and had passed rigorous evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

> “The problem is no longer access, but duplication of institutions, inadequate infrastructure, poor staffing, and very low student enrolment in many schools,” the minister told State House correspondents.

Statistics presented by the ministry painted a troubling picture:

Some federal universities operate below capacity, with fewer than 2,000 students enrolled.

One northern university reportedly has 1,200 staff for fewer than 800 students.

Last year, 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications via the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), while 34 got none.

Many polytechnics and colleges of education recorded fewer than 99 applicants, with some receiving zero applications.

Alausa warned that if the situation persisted, Nigeria risked producing poorly trained graduates, devaluing its degrees internationally, and aggravating unemployment.

He explained that the moratorium — which also applies to private polytechnics and colleges of education — would allow the government to focus on upgrading existing facilities, employing qualified lecturers, and expanding the capacity of current institutions.

Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, in addition to hundreds of state-owned and private tertiary schools, as well as specialised institutions in agriculture, health, and nursing.

The minister hailed the policy as a “reset button” for the nation’s higher education sector, adding:

> “Mr. President is committed to quality education and has given us the mandate to ensure every Nigerian student receives training that matches global standards.”