14/08/2025
FEC Imposes 7-Years Ban on New Federal Higher Institutions
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has placed a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions.
The moratorium covers universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Addressing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting on Wednesday, Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, said the move was aimed at curbing the proliferation of under-utilised institutions and refocusing resources on improving existing ones.
Alausa disclosed that the decision was reached after available statistics showed that access to tertiary education in Nigeria was “no longer the problem,” rather the unchecked duplication of federal tertiary institutions had led to inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and declining student enrolment.
He said several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students, adding that in one institution, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students.
“This is a waste of government resources. Today, we have 199 universities where fewer than 100 candidates applied through JAMB for admission. In fact, 34 universities recorded zero applications,” he said.