• Minister Says in A Northern Univetsity, the Situation is Bad
By Obinna Uballa
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the establishment of nine new universities, despite imposing a seven-year ban on the creation of additional tertiary institutions across the country.
The moratorium, which covers federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, was announced after a presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, at the council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Alausa explained that the freeze was necessary to halt the unchecked proliferation of poorly subscribed institutions, which he said had overstretched government resources, weakened infrastructure, and lowered academic standards.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, 1,200 staff serve fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources,” he said.
The minister revealed that last year, 199 universities recorded fewer than 100 applications through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), while 34 received none at all. Many of the country’s 295 polytechnics and 219 colleges of education also posted poor enrolment figures, with 64 colleges attracting zero applications.
He warned that a continuing licensing of new institutions without addressing existing inefficiencies risked producing ill-prepared graduates, further eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally and worsening unemployment.
The freeze, he said, would allow the government to focus on upgrading facilities, recruiting qualified staff, and expanding the capacity of existing schools.
Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside hundreds of state-owned and private institutions.on Wednesday
On why nine new universities were approved despite the ban, Alausa clarified that they were private institutions whose applications had been pending for up to six years and had undergone full evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“When we assumed office, there were 551 applications for private universities. We deactivated over 350 dormant cases and set stricter guidelines. Of the 79 active cases, nine met the criteria and were approved,” he said, noting that billions of naira had already been invested in their infrastructure.
The minister added that the moratorium also applies to new private polytechnics and colleges of education. He described the move as a “reset button” for Nigeria’s tertiary education system and praised Tinubu’s commitment to raising quality to global standards.
