FG Slams 7-Year Ban on New Federal Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges
By Inemesit Friday
The Federal Government has imposed a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The decision, reached at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, affects all categories of federal tertiary schools , universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, told State House correspondents after the meeting that the policy is designed to halt the proliferation of underpopulated and under-resourced schools while enabling the government to focus on rehabilitating existing institutions.
Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside hundreds of state-owned and private institutions. Yet, according to Alausa, 199 universities recorded fewer than 100 applicants through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the 2024/2025 session, while 34 universities had no applicants at all.
He added that 295 polytechnics, both public and private, each attracted fewer than 100 candidates, and 64 colleges of education recorded zero applications.
“One federal university has fewer than 800 students but 1,200 staff members,” Alausa noted, describing the imbalance as a clear case of waste and inefficiency.
The minister explained that the moratorium would enable the government to channel resources into fixing decayed infrastructure, recruiting and training qualified lecturers, and boosting the capacity of existing institutions instead of “chasing prestige with empty buildings.”
Some federal universities in certain northern states, he said, have fewer than 2,000 students despite billions of naira spent annually on their upkeep.
The move aligns with President Tinubu’s directive to deliver education that meets the highest global standards, ensuring Nigerian graduates remain competitive worldwide.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has long criticised the indiscriminate establishment of universities, calling it reckless and excessive.
The union recently warned of a possible nationwide strike, citing deteriorating conditions in public universities and the government’s failure to honour agreements.
In a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, ASUU lamented the plight of lecturers who “teach on empty stomachs” and work in poorly equipped libraries and laboratories without essential journals, chemicals, and research materials.
“They engage with communities in rickety cars, burdened by unpaid bills and unmet family responsibilities,” the statement said. “Yet, elite Nigerians are quick to blame the universities for producing ‘unemployable graduates’ while ignoring the rot caused by government neglect.”
