FG halts establishment of federal tertiary institutions for seven years

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — The Federal Government on Wednesday announced a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

This decision aims to halt the unchecked proliferation of under-utilised institutions, which has led to inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and declining student enrollment across the country’s federal tertiary education system.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Council chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, explained that access to tertiary education in Nigeria is no longer a major issue.

He, however, stated that the duplication of federal institutions has spread resources too thinly, resulting in some universities operating far below capacity.

Giving an instance, he said, “One northern university has 1,200 staff catering to fewer than 800 students. Currently, Nigeria has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, many of which suffer from poor enrollment: 199 universities had fewer than 100 applicants through JAMB last year, with 34 recording zero applications.

“Likewise, many polytechnics and colleges of education reported similarly low interest, with 64 colleges of education having no applicants at all.

“The moratorium will allow the government to refocus resources on improving existing institutions by upgrading facilities, recruiting qualified staff, and expanding their carrying capacity.”

Dr. Alausa emphasised that the goal is to improve education quality and sustain the international respect Nigeria’s graduates enjoy, warning that continuing the current trend risks producing poorly trained graduates and increasing unemployment.

He said: “Despite this freeze, the Federal Executive Council approved nine new private universities, which had long-pending applications that passed rigorous evaluation.

“These approvals do not affect the moratorium on federal institutions. Similarly, moratoriums are already in place for new private polytechnics and colleges of education to avoid further proliferation of under-subscribed institutions.

“President Bola Tinubu has strongly backed these reforms, aiming to deliver world-class education to Nigerians.”

He said as part of the broader reforms, the government is also reviewing the Polytechnic Act to allow polytechnics to award Bachelor of Technology degrees, addressing the current imbalance where university education is preferred over polytechnic education.

Overall, the seven-year freeze is intended as a reset for Nigeria’s tertiary education system, prioritising quality over quantity and ensuring sustainable development of higher education institutions.

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