Nigeria Halts New Varsities for Seven Years

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on establishing new varsities, aiming to curb duplication and improve the quality of existing ones.

Speaking to journalists after Wednesday’s FEC meeting, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said access to tertiary education was no longer a major challenge. He noted that several federal universities were operating far below capacity, with some enrolling 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 said.

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Alausa explained that the proliferation of new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education had reduced the operational capacity of existing institutions. The ministry will also review and reform guidelines for approving new private universities to ensure efficiency.

Nigeria Halts New Varsities for Seven Years

He revealed that from the recent Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exercise, some institutions attracted fewer than 100 applicants. The minister warned that poorly subscribed schools risk producing underprepared graduates, damaging the global reputation of Nigerian degrees, and increasing unemployment.

According to him, the moratorium will allow the government to focus on upgrading facilities, hiring qualified staff, and expanding the capacity of existing institutions. “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.

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  • Abdulateef Ahmed

    Abdulateef Ahmed, Digital News Editor and; Research Lead, is a self-driven researcher with exceptional editorial skills. He's a literary bon vivant keenly interested in green energy, food systems, mining, macroeconomics, big data, African political economy, and aviation..

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