The policy was approved during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, following a presentation by Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. The minister described the move as a “necessary pause” to allow for the consolidation and strengthening of existing federal institutions.
According to Alausa, the challenge facing Nigeria’s tertiary education system is no longer access, but inefficiency and poor utilisation of capacity. Many federal universities, he revealed, operate far below their enrolment limits, with some recording fewer than 2,000 students. In one extreme case in the north, he said, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students — a clear example of resource waste.
Data presented at the meeting painted a stark picture:
- Last year, 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications via the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), with 34 receiving none at all.
- Among the country’s 295 polytechnics, many recorded fewer than 99 applications.
- Out of 219 colleges of education, 64 had zero applicants.
“These statistics underscore why we must stop building new institutions that will sit idle while existing ones are starved of resources,” Alausa warned, adding that unchecked proliferation risks producing poorly trained graduates, devaluing Nigerian degrees globally, and deepening unemployment.
Under the moratorium, government funding will be channelled into upgrading facilities, recruiting qualified staff, and expanding the carrying capacity of underperforming institutions. “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,” the minister emphasised.
Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education, in addition to hundreds of state-owned and private tertiary institutions, as well as specialised schools in agriculture, health sciences, and nursing.
In a notable twist, however, the council also approved nine new universities during the same meeting. These, Alausa clarified, were private institutions whose applications had been pending for up to six years and had already undergone full evaluation by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“When we assumed office, there were 551 applications for private universities, many of which had been stalled. We deactivated over 350 dormant cases, set stricter guidelines, and of the 79 active files, only nine met the requirements for approval,” he explained, adding that billions of naira had already been invested in infrastructure for the approved schools.
The moratorium will also apply to new private polytechnics and colleges of education, in an effort to prevent further under-enrolment across the sector. Alausa hailed President Tinubu’s support for the reforms, calling them a “reset button” for Nigeria’s tertiary education.
“Mr President believes fervently in education and has given us the mandate to ensure every Nigerian has access to the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world,” the minister said.