In a significant policy shift aimed at reforming Nigeria’s higher education landscape, the Federal Government has announced a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The decision was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday.
According to the Minister, the moratorium is part of a broader strategy to prioritize the consolidation and revitalization of existing institutions. He highlighted that the challenge facing Nigeria’s tertiary education sector is not a lack of access, but rather the unchecked proliferation of institutions with declining standards in infrastructure and academic quality.
“In Nigeria today, access is no longer the core issue. What we are experiencing is an unsustainable duplication of federal tertiary institutions, leading to a deterioration in infrastructure, weakened academic standards, and an inefficient use of resources,” Alausa said.
He cited glaring inefficiencies across the sector, including institutions with disproportionate staff-to-student ratios. One federal university reportedly has fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff members. He also noted that 295 polytechnics recorded fewer than 100 applicants, while 64 colleges of education had no applicants at all for the 2024/2025 academic year.
“Currently, we have 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education. Despite this, 199 universities had fewer than 100 applicants via JAMB this year, and 34 institutions received no applications at all,” Alausa stated.
He emphasized that the new policy will enable the government to channel resources toward improving the academic output, infrastructure, and staffing of existing institutions rather than diluting quality through overexpansion.
The Minister also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for what he described as his “strong political will and unwavering commitment” to the development of Nigeria’s education sector.
This policy move marks a bold step by the Tinubu administration to recalibrate Nigeria’s higher education system toward sustainability, quality, and global competitiveness.
