The Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by President Bola Tinubu and convened on August 13, 2025, has approved a seven-year moratorium on establishing new federal tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This move aims to curb the unchecked proliferation of underused institutions and refocus resources on strengthening existing ones.
Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa highlighted that access to federal tertiary education is no longer the issue. Instead, the country faces duplication of institutions, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and dwindling student enrollment. He flagged several concerning statistics: 199 universities received fewer than 100 JAMB applicants, 34 universities recorded zero applicants, and in one federal university, 1,200 staff served fewer than 800 students.
Alausa warned that continuing on this trajectory would erode the quality of Nigeria’s tertiary education and undermine the global standing of its graduates. The moratorium, he said, will enable the government to prioritize infrastructure upgrades, recruitment of qualified faculty, and expansion of institutional capacity to enhance educational outcomes.
While the freeze applies strictly to new federal institutions, the FEC also approved nine new private universities. These had undergone prolonged evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and met the necessary requirements. Alausa noted that, although the establishment of new federal institutions is halted, the moratorium promotes better regulation of private institutions as well.
