No New Schools! FG Imposes 7-Year Ban On New Federal Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has officially approved a seven-year suspension on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions in Nigeria, according to iReporter Online.

This landmark decision was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, following Wednesday’s FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Dr. Alausa clarified that the moratorium applies to all categories of federal tertiary institutions — including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The move, according to iReporter Online, is aimed at halting the systemic decay caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of institutions, which has led to overstretched infrastructure, underutilized manpower, and declining academic standards.

“We’re witnessing massive duplication of federal tertiary institutions, a drop in each institution’s capacity, and the worsening of both physical and human infrastructure,” Alausa stated.

He emphasized that if this trend continues unchecked, it could severely affect the quality of education and damage the international reputation of Nigerian graduates.

According to iReporter Online, Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities — with similar numbers reflected across polytechnics and colleges of education.

Alausa pointed out the alarming mismatch between the number of institutions and actual student enrollment, citing a northern federal university with fewer than 800 students but more than 1,200 staff members as a glaring example of inefficiency.

Describing the ban as a bold and necessary reform under the Tinubu administration, the minister said the government will now prioritize enhancing existing institutions, expanding capacity, upgrading infrastructure, and improving staff quality to ensure Nigerian graduates remain globally competitive.

In a related development, Alausa disclosed that FEC approved the establishment of 9 new private universities from the 79 pending applications. Many of these, he said, had faced long delays due to inefficiencies at the National Universities Commission (NUC), despite applicants having already invested heavily in infrastructure and planning.

”IREPORTER REPORTS”