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FG Moves to Halt Establishment of New Tertiary Institutions, Seeks Seven-Year Ban
FG Moves to Halt Establishment of New Tertiary Institutions, Seeks Seven-Year Ban
Education Minister Tunji Alausa urges National Assembly to suspend passage of bills seeking to establish new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Federal Executive Council approved the seven-year moratorium in August 2025 to address funding constraints, infrastructure deficits and duplication of academic programmes.
Only N250bn of the N1.3tn university revitalisation commitment was released between 2013 and 2021, while N100bn approved for intervention in 2025 remains outstanding.
FG says the moratorium will allow existing institutions to address infrastructure deficiencies, improve academic standards and strengthen research capacity before further expansion.
November 6, () – The Federal Government has urged the National Assembly to suspend the passage of bills seeking to establish new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years, citing funding constraints, infrastructure deficits and the inability to adequately sustain existing institutions.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, appealed in a memorandum dated November 2, 2026, addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and copied to the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
In the memorandum, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147 and sighted in Abuja, Alausa urged lawmakers to exercise restraint in considering and passing bills for additional federal tertiary institutions in compliance with the government’s seven-year moratorium.
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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the moratorium on August 13, 2025, as part of measures to address the proliferation of public tertiary institutions, duplication of academic programmes, under-utilisation of existing facilities and the government’s limited capacity to adequately fund the sector.
Alausa said the immediate priority should be to strengthen existing institutions through improved funding, infrastructure, personnel and modern teaching and research facilities rather than continually increasing their numbers.
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“The Federal Government’s position is that the immediate challenge confronting the tertiary education sector is not merely the expansion of access, but the urgent need to strengthen existing institutions,” he stated.
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Existing Institutions Struggle With Infrastructure Deficits
The minister identified inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities as some of the major challenges confronting federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
He cited outstanding government commitments to university revitalisation as evidence of the financial difficulties facing the sector.
According to him, only N250bn of the N1.3tn commitment under the 2013-2018 Federal Government-ASUU agreement was released between 2013 and 2021. He further disclosed that of the additional N150bn approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, only N50bn was initially released, leaving N100bn outstanding.
“These funding gaps demonstrate the difficulty of meeting existing obligations and raise legitimate concerns about the capacity to sustain additional institutions without corresponding and guaranteed budgetary provisions,” he stated.
Alausa also identified interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), vocational and skills acquisition programmes, as well as the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Tools Allowance, as competing funding commitments requiring sustained government support.
He warned that establishing additional institutions would impose long-term financial obligations on the government, including land acquisition, infrastructure development, recruitment of personnel, procurement of equipment, utilities and recurrent expenditure.
The minister cautioned that bills seeking to establish new institutions without feasibility studies, demonstrable educational needs and credible long-term funding arrangements could result in institutions lacking the resources required to operate effectively.
FG Cites Ekiti, Imo Consolidation Experiences
To support its position, Alausa referenced institutional consolidation efforts in Ekiti and Imo states, where difficulties in sustaining multiple tertiary institutions prompted restructuring.
He recalled that three state-owned universities in Ekiti were merged into Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011.
He also disclosed that some state governments had approached the Federal Government to take over their universities because of difficulties funding their operations.
The minister further cited consolidation efforts in Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa, arguing that such reforms had helped address financial constraints, duplication of academic programmes and administrative inefficiencies.
He said Nigeria should prioritise institutional viability, academic quality, research capacity and efficient utilisation of public resources rather than continually increasing the number of tertiary institutions.
Moratorium Not Permanent Ban, Says Minister
Alausa clarified that the seven-year moratorium was not intended to permanently deny Nigerians access to tertiary education or foreclose the establishment of new institutions where compelling national needs existed.
He said the period would allow the government to consolidate existing investments, address institutional deficiencies and improve academic standards before considering further expansion.
The minister appealed to Akpabio and the leadership of the National Assembly to support the policy by exercising restraint in considering and passing bills seeking to establish additional federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education during the moratorium.
“The success of our education system should be measured not merely by the number of institutions established, but by the capacity of existing institutions to deliver high-quality education, produce competent graduates and contribute meaningfully to national development,” he stated.
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