The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, today (Wednesday) has approved a 7-year ban immediately on the establishment of new federal tertiary educational institutions across the country.

Briefing state house Correspondents after FEC meeting in Abuja, the Minister of education, Tunji Alausa, revealed that the moratorium covers universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, explaining that the decisive move is part of measures to address declining education quality, low enrolment, infrastructure as well as curbing duplication and waste, while consolidating resources to upgrade existing facilities and manpower in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Our correspondent, Raliat Adenekan reports that the Minister revealed that 34 universities received zero applications via JAMB for the 2025–2026 academic session, while 295 polytechnics and colleges of education, both public and private, also had fewer than 100 applicants, noting that some federal universities operate with fewer than 2,000 students but maintain staff strength exceeding 1,200. The minister stressed that the moratorium will allow the government to focus on improving existing institutions by upgrading infrastructure, increasing student capacity, and enhancing academic quality.

The education Minister further disclosed that despite the freeze on new federal institutions, FEC approved the establishment of nine private universities, clarifying that these were long-standing applications, some pending for over six years and delayed by inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission. 

He said the approvals were based on revised guidelines and fairness to investors who had already built campuses and invested heavily.

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