FEC imposes 7-year ban on establishment of new federal tertiary institutions
In a move to overhaul the nation’s educational landscape, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions.
The decision, made at a meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, affects new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Speaking on the decision, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa explained that the government is shifting its focus from creating more institutions to improving the quality of existing ones. He stated that the country’s main challenge is no longer a lack of access to higher education but the over-proliferation of institutions, which has strained resources and led to a decline in educational standards.
“In our country, access to quality financial education is no longer an issue,” Alausa said. “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.”
He warned that without decisive action, this trend would lead to a “marked decline in educational quality and undermine the international respect that Nigerian graduates command.”
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The Numbers Behind the Moratorium
Alausa provided a stark look at the current state of Nigeria’s tertiary education, highlighting a significant imbalance between the number of institutions and student demand. He noted that Nigeria has a combined total of 339 universities, as well as numerous polytechnics and colleges of education.
However, data from the 2024-2026 academic sessions reveals a troubling disconnect. “For the 2024-2026 academic sessions, about 2.1 million young Nigerians applied to our tertiary institutions,” Alausa stated. “However, 199 universities had fewer than 99 applicants, and remarkably, 34 universities had zero candidates applying at all.”
He added that this issue is not limited to universities, as “295 polytechnics had fewer than 99 applicants, and 219 colleges of education suffered similar fates, with 64 colleges receiving no applicants at all.”
The minister cited an example of a federal university in the northern region with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff, calling the situation “simply not sustainable.” This inefficient use of resources, he said, prompted the moratorium.
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The Path Forward: Upgrading Existing Institutions
With the ban in place, the government plans to redirect resources toward improving the quality and capacity of existing institutions.
This includes upgrading physical infrastructure and manpower to ensure that Nigerian graduates “can maintain and enhance the respect they enjoy globally,” Alausa said.
He thanked President Tinubu for his “unwavering commitment and support toward education reform,” noting that the president’s dedication has been “key in advancing these reforms.”
New Private Universities Approved, but with a Catch
Despite the moratorium, the council approved the establishment of nine new private universities. Alausa clarified that these applications were part of a “backlog” that had been delayed for years by the National University Commission (NUC).
“Several of these applications have been in the pipeline for over six years, with investors having already built campuses and invested billions of Naira,” he explained.
He noted that the ministry has since reformed its processes to clear this backlog and will now apply the moratorium to new private universities as well. The goal is to ensure that future institutions meet new, more rigorous standards.
Alausa concluded by emphasising the moratorium’s importance for Nigeria’s future, warning that “if we do not act now, the level of graduate unemployment will rise, and the capital index will be affected due to the growing number of graduates without sufficient life skills to contribute meaningfully to the economy.”
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