FG places 6-year ban on new universities, polytechnics, colleges of education

The Federal Government has announced a six-year freeze on the establishment of new tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

According to Leadership, The decision was taken at the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the move is aimed at strengthening quality and improving sustainability, especially among private institutions.

According to him, Nigeria already has a large number of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, but many are struggling financially.

He cited figures from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), revealing that over 2.3 million candidates applied for admission last year. However, fewer than 228,000 gained admission into public universities.

The gap, he noted, shows that access remains a major issue despite the growing number of institutions.

In a related development, FEC restored the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) to its full status as an independent commission.

The minister disclosed that about 56 million Nigerians are still classified as illiterate. He said NMEC plans to roll out aggressive literacy campaigns, especially in rural communities, using radio, television, advocacy drives and community learning centres.

Council also approved amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act to recognise medical fellowships as equivalent to a PhD for academic progression.

Insurance coverage was equally approved for 180 federal unity schools nationwide.

The announcement comes months after the National Universities Commission approved 33 new universities in 2025, bringing the total number of universities in Nigeria to 309.