By Muhammad Mamman
the Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by President Bola Tinubu, has imposed a seven-year moratorium on establishing new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The decision, announced Wednesday, aims to tackle the alarming decline in infrastructure and workforce quality across the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa emphasized that the core issue isn’t access to education but the unsustainable proliferation of federal institutions. “Nigeria no longer faces a shortage of tertiary institutions,” Alausa declared. “Instead, we’re grappling with duplicated efforts, strained resources, and deteriorating standards in infrastructure and manpower.”
The minister warned that unchecked expansion risks further eroding educational quality and diminishing the global reputation of Nigerian graduates. “This moratorium is a decisive step to restore excellence and ensure our institutions meet international standards,” he added.
The freeze, effective immediately, is set to last until 2032, allowing the government to focus on strengthening existing institutions and addressing critical gaps in the education sector.
