The Federal Government has announced a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, citing the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, overstretched resources, and declining academic standards.
The decision was approved during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a memo presented by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Alausa said Nigeria’s tertiary education challenge was no longer about access but about “inefficient duplication, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and dwindling enrolment” in many existing schools.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources,” he noted.
The minister revealed that last year, 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications through JAMB, with 34 getting no applications at all. Out of the nation’s 295 polytechnics, many had fewer than 99 applicants, while 219 colleges of education also saw poor enrolment — including 64 that recorded zero applications.
The minister warned that the unchecked spread of poorly subscribed institutions could risk producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally, and worsening unemployment.
According to him, the moratorium will give government room to invest in improving facilities, employing qualified staff, and expanding the capacity of existing schools.
“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,” he said.
Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, in addition to numerous state-owned and private schools. There are also specialised institutions such as colleges of agriculture, health sciences, nursing, and innovation enterprise institutions, many of which are also under-enrolled.
Although the freeze applies to federal institutions, Alausa disclosed that the FEC had approved nine new universities at the same meeting. He explained that these were private institutions whose applications had been pending for up to six years and had already undergone rigorous assessment by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“When we assumed office, there were 551 applications for private universities. Many had been stuck due to inefficiencies at the NUC. We deactivated over 350 dormant applications and set new, stricter guidelines. Of the 79 active cases, 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 said.
He also confirmed that the moratorium would cover new private polytechnics and colleges of education to prevent further under-enrolment.
Alausa applauded the president for backing the reform, he described it as a “reset button” for the nation’s tertiary education system.
“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.
