The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year ban on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Naija News learnt that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated that the decision was made during the FEC meeting on Thursday, chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
Alausa said the latest development followed concerns over under-utilised institutions, poor infrastructure, and declining academic quality.
He clarified that while the suspension applies to both public and private tertiary institutions, nine pending private universities were approved after meeting the stringent requirements of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
While describing the reform as a “reset button” for Nigeria’s education system, Alausa said, “Mr President believes fervently in education and has given us the mandate to ensure every Nigerian has access to the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students.
“If we want to improve quality and not be a laughing stock globally, the pragmatic step is to pause the establishment of new federal institutions.”