FG Bans Creation of New Federal Tertiary Institutions for Seven Years

Abuja, August 13, 2025 — The Federal Government has announced a seven-year suspension on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The decision, reached during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, was disclosed by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa.

According to the minister, the moratorium aims to address challenges of under-enrollment, duplication of courses, and under-utilized facilities across existing institutions. Many federal tertiary institutions currently operate below capacity, while still consuming large amounts of public resources.

Addressing Overstretch and Under-Utilization

Dr. Alausa revealed that some institutions have more staff than students. For example, one federal university in northern Nigeria employs about 1,200 staff members but has fewer than 800 students. In the 2024–2026 application cycle, 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications each, with 34 universities getting no applications at all.

Federal polytechnics and colleges of education have similar challenges. Statistics show that 64 federal colleges of education recorded zero applications during the same period. With 72 federal universities, 42 federal polytechnics, and 28 federal colleges of education already in existence, the government believes a pause is necessary to redirect resources effectively.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

The government stated that this is not a backward step but a strategy to strengthen existing institutions. The seven-year break will be used to improve infrastructure, expand academic programs, and recruit more qualified lecturers.

The minister stressed that the quality of graduates is tied to the quality of education. Producing poorly trained graduates, he said, could harm Nigeria’s reputation internationally and increase unemployment rates.

Private Institutions and Polytechnic Reform

While the freeze applies to federal institutions, nine new private universities were recently approved after meeting all regulatory requirements. However, the moratorium on establishing new private polytechnics and colleges of education remains in place.

In addition, the government is reviewing the Polytechnic Act to allow polytechnics to award Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degrees. This reform is expected to bridge the gap between polytechnic and university education, providing graduates with more competitive qualifications.

Stakeholder Impact

Stakeholder	Expected Impact
Current Institutions	Increased funding, better infrastructure, and more lecturers.
Students	Access to higher quality learning environments.
Education Sector	Shift from expansion to consolidation of resources.
Policymakers	Opportunity to implement reforms and evaluate results.

Why This Policy Matters

This decision addresses long-standing inefficiencies in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector. By focusing on existing institutions, the government seeks to maximize the return on investment in education, improve student-to-staff ratios, and ensure that Nigerian graduates can compete on a global scale.

Education experts believe this could be an opportunity to integrate technology into classrooms, adopt global best practices in teaching, and enhance research capacity across the country’s universities and polytechnics.

Conclusion

The Federal Government’s seven-year ban on creating new federal tertiary institutions marks a shift in policy direction from expansion to quality consolidation. With under-enrollment and resource mismanagement identified as pressing issues, the decision is positioned as a strategic move to revamp Nigeria’s higher education system for long-term sustainability.

Source

Vanguard News