FG seeks seven-year ban on establishing new federal universities, polytechnics

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 FG seven-year ban federal universities request was contained in a memo dated November 2, 2026, from the Federal Ministry of Education to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE MEMO

The memo, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147, was signed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.

It urged the Senate leadership and lawmakers to exercise legislative restraint in considering bills seeking to establish additional federal tertiary institutions .

According to the minister, the Federal Executive Council had, at its meeting on August 13, 2025, approved a seven-year moratorium on establishing new federal tertiary institutions. The decision was taken to address the proliferation of public institutions, duplication of academic programmes, under-utilisation of existing facilities, and the government’s declining capacity to adequately fund the sector .

“The Federal Government’s position is that the immediate challenge confronting the tertiary education sector is not merely the expansion of access, but the urgent need to strengthen existing institutions,” Alausa stated.

THE DEFICITS

The memo painted a grim picture of the state of existing institutions.

“Existing Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education are confronted with serious funding and infrastructure deficits, including inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities,” the minister said.

He disclosed that under the 2013-2018 Federal Government-ASUU revitalisation commitment of N1.3 trillion, only N250 billion was released between 2013 and 2021.

Of the additional N150 billion approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, only N50 billion was initially released, leaving a substantial outstanding commitment .

“These funding gaps demonstrate the difficulty of meeting existing obligations and raise legitimate concerns about the capacity to sustain additional institutions without corresponding and guaranteed budgetary provisions,” he stated.

THE SENATE’S RESPONSE

The Senate has already begun to align with the policy. On Wednesday, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele announced that the consideration and processing of all pending bills seeking to establish new federal tertiary institutions had been halted.

“This policy is designed to strengthen and consolidate our existing tertiary institutions before we consider establishing new ones,” Bamidele said, appealing to lawmakers to defer constituency requests for new federal institutions.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasised that the measure followed direct engagements between President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly leadership .

“Establishing a university is a serious national responsibility and should not be treated with the same simplicity as establishing primary schools,” Akpabio said.

He noted that several recently created tertiary institutions currently exist largely on paper, lacking permanent sites or completed site clearances .The legislative freeze impacts more than 200 bills currently before the National Assembly .

WHY IT MATTERS

For decades, Nigerian politicians have used the establishment of new federal universities and polytechnics as a tool for political patronage.

Constituency projects are packaged as ivory towers, and lawmakers compete to bring the newest institution to their districts.

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The result is a sprawling system of underfunded, overcrowded institutions that produce graduates without the skills to compete in the modern economy.

The FG seven-year ban is an attempt to break that cycle. The moratorium will not be popular with lawmakers who see new institutions as their legacy.

But if it succeeds, it could force the government to focus on what matters: the quality of education, not the quantity of institutions.

The memo has been sent. The Senate has complied. And for the next seven years, the ivory tower will have to stand on the foundations it already has. ValidViewNetwork reports.