THE Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, August 13, approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The ban, which applies to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, is aimed at addressing what the government described as growing number of tertiary institutions in the country.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the challenge facing Nigeria’s education system was no longer access to federal tertiary education but the deterioration of infrastructure and manpower due to the unchecked proliferation of the schools.
He said, “Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources.’
The minister added, ”
However, there are concerns about the legality of the order as many have pointed out that the power to enact laws, also relating to public university education (including their establishment) rests solely with the National Assembly, not the executive branch.
The ICIR reports that the decision to halt establishment of new institutions came just months after the federal government approved provisional licences for 11 new private universities, bringing the total number of private universities in the country to 160.
The ICIR reported that the approval expanded private universities in the South-West, South-East, and South-South regions, which already had the highest number of private institutions in the country, according to data on the number of private universities from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Over the years, states in the South-West, namely Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo, have hosted more private universities than other regions in Nigeria.
The region hosts institutions such as Covenant University, Babcock University, Afe Babalola University, Landmark University, and Redeemer’s University.
Similarly, the South East and South South regions have notable private institutions like Madonna University, Benson Idahosa University, Igbinedion University, and Rhema University.
However, northern Nigeria has fewer private universities compared to other regions, with institutions such as Skyline University (North-West), Baze University, Nile University (North-Central) and American University of Nigeria (North-East) making the top list in the region.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M