Federal Government Seeks Seven-Year Ban On New Federal Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government has appealed to the National Assembly to suspend the passage of bills seeking the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for a period of seven years.

The appeal is contained in a formal communication sent to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

The minister explained that the Federal Executive Council approved the seven-year moratorium in August 2025 as part of efforts to address the growing number of tertiary institutions, duplication of academic programmes and inadequate funding across the education sector.

Alausa noted that many existing federal tertiary institutions are already struggling with significant challenges, including inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratory facilities, shortages of qualified personnel and deteriorating infrastructure.

He warned that establishing additional institutions without first addressing these challenges could place further pressure on available resources, weaken academic standards and undermine the overall quality of tertiary education in the country.

The minister also cited the experiences of Ekiti and Imo States, which undertook the consolidation and restructuring of some tertiary institutions in response to financial and administrative difficulties.

According to him, establishing new institutions goes beyond providing physical structures, as it creates long-term financial obligations involving infrastructure development, recruitment of personnel, procurement of equipment, payment of utilities and recurrent expenditure.

He stressed that such commitments must be sustained by successive administrations to ensure the effective operation of the institutions.

Alausa, however, clarified that the moratorium was not designed to permanently restrict access to tertiary education or prevent the expansion of learning opportunities across the country.

Rather, he said the policy would provide government with an opportunity to consolidate existing investments, upgrade infrastructure, improve academic standards and establish a more sustainable funding framework for the sector.

The minister therefore urged the National Assembly to exercise restraint in considering legislative proposals for the establishment of additional federal tertiary institutions during the seven-year period.

He maintained that the success of Nigeria’s education sector should not be determined by the number of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education established, but by the quality of their academic programmes, learning facilities and graduates.