The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has placed a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across Nigeria.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this after the FEC meeting held on Thursday, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Alausa, the decision was driven by mounting concerns over poor infrastructure, declining academic standards, and the under-utilisation of existing tertiary institutions.
He explained that while the suspension affects both public and private institutions, nine pending applications for private universities were granted approval after they successfully met the stringent accreditation standards of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“This reform serves as a reset button for Nigeria’s education sector. President Tinubu is deeply committed to ensuring that every Nigerian has access to quality education comparable to the best in the world,” Alausa stated.
“We discovered that several federal universities are operating far below capacity — some with fewer than 2,000 students. If we truly want to enhance quality and global competitiveness, we must pause the creation of new institutions and focus on strengthening existing ones.”
The minister described the move as a pragmatic step toward restoring excellence and stability within Nigeria’s higher education system.
ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike Over Unfulfilled Promises
Meanwhile, the University of Jos branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticised Alausa for what it described as misleading statements regarding the Federal Government’s compliance with agreements reached with university workers.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the branch chairperson, Prof. Jurbe Joseph Molwus, warned that the union could resume its suspended strike if the government fails to address outstanding issues within the next two weeks.
ASUU noted that despite issuing a four-week ultimatum on October 22, 2025, little progress has been made. The union said lecturers are still awaiting payment of withheld salaries, wage award arrears, and other entitlements.
“Two weeks after our ultimatum, the government has yet to take concrete action. If this continues, we may have no option but to resume our industrial action,” Prof. Molwus cautioned.
The renewed threat of strike action adds to growing tensions in the education sector, even as the Federal Government moves to reform and stabilise the system.
