By Ayomide otitoju
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions, citing concerns over duplication, underutilisation, and declining academic standards.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday after the council meeting, stating that access to tertiary education was no longer a pressing challenge but that many existing institutions were operating far below capacity.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having 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,” Alausa said.
He noted that the proliferation of new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education had weakened the capacity of existing ones. Data from the latest Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exercise showed that many institutions attracted fewer than 100 applicants.
The minister warned that the unchecked expansion of poorly subscribed schools risked producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the credibility of Nigerian degrees abroad, and worsening unemployment.
The moratorium, he explained, will allow the government to focus resources on upgrading facilities, recruiting qualified lecturers, and increasing the carrying capacity of current institutions.
As part of the reforms, the Ministry of Education will also review guidelines for approving new private universities to ensure they meet efficiency and quality standards.
“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,” Alausa stressed.
