The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, a move the government says is aimed at halting waste and improving quality in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the decision after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting in Abuja, warning that unchecked proliferation of tertiary institutions was draining resources and weakening academic standards.
In some cases, we have federal universities with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff,” Alausa said. “This is simply not sustainable. We must consolidate and upgrade what we already have before expanding further.”
According to government data, Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 108 state-owned universities, and 159 private universities, alongside hundreds of polytechnics, colleges of education, and specialised institutions.
Yet demand has not matched supply. In the 2024–2026 admissions cycle, 199 universities attracted fewer than 99 applicants, while 34 universities received no applications at all. Similar patterns were recorded in polytechnics and colleges of education, with dozens of schools recording zero enrolment.
“This is a waste of public funds,” Alausa said, adding that the new policy will redirect funding to strengthen existing institutions’ infrastructure, staffing, and capacity rather than open new ones.
The minister said more than 350 inactive private university applications have been scrapped, leaving 79 active proposals. Under the new rules, no new institutions will be licensed unless they meet stricter quality standards.
Alausa praised President Bola Tinubu for backing the reforms, warning that failure to act could worsen graduate unemployment and erode the global standing of Nigerian degrees.
“If we do not act now, the level of graduate unemployment will rise, and the value of our human capital will fall,” he said. “This policy is vital to maintain the respect Nigerian graduates command worldwide.”
