FEC Bans Establishment of New Federal Tertiary Institutions for Seven Years

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by President Bola Tinubu, has approved a seven-year ban on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the move aims to address the over-proliferation of institutions, which has weakened infrastructure, manpower, and educational quality. He noted that while Nigeria has 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities, many operate far below capacity.

For the 2024–2026 academic sessions, 199 universities had fewer than 99 applicants, while 34 had none. Similar trends were recorded in polytechnics and colleges of education. Alausa cited a northern federal university with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff as an example of inefficiency.

The government will now focus on improving existing institutions through better infrastructure, staffing, and capacity expansion.

FEC also approved the establishment of nine new private universities, part of a backlog of long-pending applications. However, the moratorium will also apply to new private tertiary institutions, with stricter standards for future approvals.

Alausa warned that unchecked expansion could worsen graduate unemployment and erode the global reputation of Nigerian education.