The Federal Government has approved a six-year moratorium on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The decision was reached on Wednesday during a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, explained that the temporary suspension is designed to strengthen quality assurance mechanisms and promote sustainability within Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
According to the minister, the move will allow the government to consolidate existing institutions, address infrastructural deficits, improve staffing capacity and enhance overall academic standards before approving the creation of new ones.
Education stakeholders have long raised concerns about the proliferation of tertiary institutions without corresponding investment in facilities, manpower and funding — a development widely believed to affect quality and global competitiveness.
In a related development, the Federal Executive Council approved the restoration of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) to its full status as an independent commission. The move is expected to reinforce the government’s commitment to tackling adult illiteracy and expanding access to non-formal education programmes nationwide.
The latest decisions signal a strategic policy shift towards consolidation, standardisation and improved governance within Nigeria’s education sector.
Further details on implementation guidelines for the moratorium are expected to be communicated by the Federal Ministry of Education in due course.
