The Federal Government has actually asked the National Assembly to suspend the facility of brand-new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education throughout the nation for 7 years.
The federal government stated the proposed constraint was needed to attend to the growing obstacles dealing with existing tertiary organizations, especially insufficient financing, bad facilities, lack of speakers and decreasing scholastic centers.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the appeal in a memorandum dated November 2, 2026, dealt with to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, was likewise copied in the interaction.
Alausa prompted the Senate management and other members of the National Assembly to work out restraint in thinking about costs looking for the facility of extra federal tertiary organizations throughout the proposed seven-year duration.
The minister discussed that the Federal Executive Council had actually currently authorized the moratorium at its conference on August 13, 2025.
He stated the choice formed part of the federal government’s more comprehensive efforts to resolve the increasing variety of public tertiary organizations and avoid unneeded duplication of scholastic programs.
According to him, Nigeria needs to initially resolve the issues impacting existing organizations before dedicating more public resources to developing extra ones.
He kept that the continued production of universities and other greater organizations without sufficient sponsorship might intensify the troubles currently facing the education sector.
“The Federal Government’s position is that the instant difficulty facing the tertiary education sector is not simply the growth of gain access to however the immediate requirement to reinforce existing organizations,” he mentioned.
The minister recognized numerous issues impacting federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
These consist of inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded class, badly geared up labs, insufficient trainee lodging and degrading facilities.
He likewise raised issues about the scarcity of certified scholastic personnel, discussing that existing organizations were currently having a hard time to offer the workers and centers needed to provide quality education.
Alausa cautioned that developing more organizations under the present conditions would even more divide readily available resources and make it challenging for the federal government to satisfy its existing duties.
He stated the seven-year moratorium would supply a chance to combine previous financial investments, enhance the capability of functional organizations and address facilities and workforce lacks.
The education minister likewise accentuated the monetary dedications currently dealing with the Federal Government, especially its impressive responsibilities under contracts with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Just N250 billion was supposedly launched in between 2013 and 2021.
He even more exposed that an extra N150 billion was authorized in 2025 for the Needs Assessment Intervention, however the preliminary quantity launched was N50 billion.
According to Alausa, the figures show the monetary problems connected with preserving existing organizations, raising concerns about the federal government’s capability to properly money extra universities and other tertiary organizations.
“These moneying spaces show the trouble of conference existing responsibilities and raise genuine issues about the capability to sustain extra organizations without corresponding and ensured monetary arrangements,” he specified.
The minister argued that the federal government should prevent developing organizations that might ultimately end up being tough to preserve due to the fact that of inadequate financing.
He likewise pointed out advancements in Ekiti and Imo specifies to show the monetary and administrative troubles that might develop from developing a number of tertiary organizations without sustainable financing plans.
Alausa remembered that 3 state-owned universities in Ekiti were combined into one organization, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011.
He likewise referenced institutional evaluations and combination workouts carried out by the Imo State Government following the facility of several tertiary organizations under previous administrations.
The minister even more declared that some state federal governments had actually approached the Federal Government over possible takeovers of their universities due to the fact that of troubles funding their operations.
He cautioned that organizations developed without correct monetary preparation might ultimately need mergers, restructuring or closure, producing extra monetary obligations for future federal governments.
“The organizations developed without sustainable financing plans might consequently need expensive restructuring, merger or combination by follower administrations,” he warned.
To support the proposed policy, Alausa indicated advancements in other nations, consisting of Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa.
He stated a few of these nations had actually embraced institutional mergers and debt consolidation as part of efforts to deal with financing obstacles, get rid of duplication of programs and enhance administrative performance.
According to him, such steps might reinforce institutional management, enhance research study capability and make sure much better utilisation of readily available resources.
The minister kept that Nigeria needs to prioritise the survival and advancement of existing tertiary organizations instead of focus generally on increasing their numbers.
He likewise cautioned that the constant facility of brand-new organizations might impact other federal government programs created to enhance education and assistance trainees and employees in the sector.
Amongst the interventions he pointed out were jobs moneyed through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), occupation and abilities acquisition programs, and allowances presented for scholastic and non-academic workers.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND
Alausa described that developing a university or polytechnic needed considerable monetary dedications beyond the passage of an allowing law by the National Assembly.
He kept in mind that the procedure included getting land, offering take-off grants, building scholastic structures, hiring speakers and administrative workers, buying devices and making sure routine financing for electrical energy, water and other functional expenditures.
He stated such obligations would continue for a number of years and would need constant financial backing from succeeding administrations.
The minister for that reason cautioned versus passing facility expenses without appropriate expediency research studies, proof of nationwide instructional requirements and clear prepare for long-lasting financing.
“Such organizations might ultimately end up being monetary liabilities, engaging future administrations to carry out expensive mergers, restructuring or straight-out closure, with attendant effects for trainees, personnel, public financial investments and the nationwide education system,” he specified.
He stated the federal government meant to utilize the proposed seven-year duration to enhance existing federal organizations, address lacks of scholastic workers, upgrade facilities and reinforce scholastic requirements.
Alausa likewise preserved that any choice to develop extra organizations in the future should be supported by correct monetary and administrative plans.
He as a result appealed straight to the Senate President and other leaders of the National Assembly to support the policy by suspending legal activities focused on producing more federal tertiary organizations throughout the duration.
“In view of the foregoing, I respectfully attract Your Excellency and the recognized management of the National Assembly to support the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium by working out restraint in the factor to consider and passage of Bills for the facility of extra Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education throughout the duration,” he specified.
The minister acknowledged the constitutional powers of the National Assembly to start and pass legislation developing federal organizations.
He prompted legislators to think about the monetary ramifications and real instructional requirements of the nation before authorizing such propositions.
He even more argued that the success of Nigeria’s education system must not be evaluated by the variety of universities, polytechnics and colleges developed however by the quality of education they supply.
“The success of our education system ought to be determined not simply by the variety of organizations developed however by the capability of existing organizations to provide top quality education, produce qualified graduates and contribute meaningfully to nationwide advancement,” he included.
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