Abuja: The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions. Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, announced the approval after Wednesday’s FEC meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He explained the ban applies to all federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the decision aims to address systemic decay caused by unregulated expansion. Dr. Alausa stated, “What we are witnessing today is duplication of new federal tertiary institutions, a significant reduction in the current capacity of each institution, and degradation of both physical infrastructure and manpower.”
The minister warned that without decisive action, there would be marked declines in educational quality, which could undermine the international respect Nigerian graduates currently command. The moratorium is seen as a measure to prevent further decay in tertiary institutions, which could affect education quality and lead to unemployment among graduates.
Dr. Alausa noted that Nigeria currently hosts 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities, with similar trends in polytechnics and colleges of education. He highlighted the growing mismatch between the number of institutions and available student enrollment, citing a northern university with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff as an unsustainable model.
The minister portrayed the moratorium as a bold corrective measure by the Tinubu administration. He emphasized that the government would focus on upgrading existing institutions, improving infrastructure, boosting manpower, and increasing capacity. “We need to improve the quality of our education system and increase the carrying capacity of our current institutions so that Nigerian graduates can maintain and enhance the respect they enjoy globally,” he said.
Despite the moratorium on federal institutions, Dr. Alausa announced that the Council approved nine new private universities out of the 79 active pending applications. He explained that several applications had been in the pipeline for over six years, with investors having already built campuses and invested billions of Naira.