Nigerians React As FG Suspends New Higher Institutions For Nearly A Decade

The Federal Government of Nigeria has imposed a seven-year suspension on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions across the country.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the decision on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

The moratorium applies to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.

Alausa explained that the move aims to strengthen the quality of existing institutions, tackling the significant decline in infrastructure and workforce standards. According to him, the core problem is not access to federal tertiary education but the oversaturation of institutions, which dilutes resources and capacity.

“In our country, access to quality tertiary education is no longer the challenge. The real issue is the unchecked duplication of federal institutions, which is eroding their capacity, degrading facilities, and weakening manpower. If we don’t take decisive action, the quality of education will drop, and the global regard for Nigerian graduates will be undermined,” Alausa warned.

He highlighted inefficiencies, citing a federal university with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff, and revealing that 295 polytechnics had fewer than 100 applicants, while 64 colleges of education recorded none at all.

Presently, Nigeria has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, alongside numerous state and private institutions. Yet, in the 2024/2025 academic session, 199 universities recorded fewer than 100 JAMB applicants, and 34 had zero applications.

Alausa commended President Tinubu for his “political will and commitment” to repositioning the education sector.