FG seeks seven-year ban on establishing new federal universities, polytechnics.
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…Alausa tells Senate to stop approving establishment bills, cites NN1.3trn ASUU revitalisation debt, infrastructure deficits By Joseph Erunke, Abuja The Federal Government has moved to halt the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years, warning that Nigeria risks expanding its tertiary education system at the expense of academic quality and the survival of existing institutions.
The government said it could no longer afford to spread scarce resources across an increasing number of institutions while existing federal tertiary institutions grapple with severe funding shortages, decaying infrastructure, inadequate manpower and overcrowded classrooms.
Consequently, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has appealed to the Senate and other members of the National Assembly to stop considering and passing bills seeking to establish additional federal tertiary institutions during the seven-year moratorium. The appeal was contained in a November 2, 2026, memo addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and copied to Senate Majority Leader Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. In the memo, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147 and sighted in Abuja on Friday, Alausa disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the seven-year moratorium at its August 13, 2025, meeting as part of efforts to address the proliferation of public tertiary institutions, duplication of academic programmes and under-utilisation of existing facilities. The minister’s intervention comes amid persistent concerns over the government’s ability to adequately finance existing universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, with billions of naira in outstanding revitalisation commitments yet to be met.
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