The federal government has announced a six-year suspension on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria as part of efforts to improve quality and sustainability within the country’s higher education system.
The decision was reached during a meeting of the Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the temporary ban was introduced to consolidate existing institutions rather than expand the system without adequate capacity.
“Today, access is not easy in the country. We have lots of tertiary institutions, both public and private. We need to help these private institutions be sustainable financially,” Alausa said.
He explained that despite the growing number of institutions nationwide, admission spaces remain limited. Citing data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the minister noted that more than 2.3 million candidates sought university admission last year, while fewer than 228,000 gained entry into public universities.
According to him, the moratorium is intended to allow government authorities to strengthen infrastructure, staffing, funding structures and academic standards across already approved institutions.
NMEC regains independent status
At the same meeting, FEC approved the restoration of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) as a fully independent commission.
Alausa said the decision followed the presentation of an ambitious literacy expansion plan aimed at addressing Nigeria’s large population of non-literate adults.
“Today, we have about 56 million Nigerians that are illiterate. We can’t continue to have a high number of citizens that are illiterate,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu approved the commission’s renewed autonomy after it unveiled an “expansive agenda to educate over 50 million young adults in the next two to three years, and to make them digitally literate.”
The commission is expected to intensify adult education programmes, particularly in rural communities, through radio and television learning platforms, advocacy campaigns and community-based education centres.
Other education reforms approved
The council also approved amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act to recognise medical fellowship qualifications as equivalent to a PhD for academic advancement within universities and teaching institutions.
In addition, FEC granted comprehensive insurance coverage for students enrolled in the country’s 180 federal unity schools, a move officials say will strengthen welfare and risk protection within the federal education system.
NMEC, originally established in 1990, serves as Nigeria’s statutory agency responsible for coordinating national literacy programmes in collaboration with federal, state and local governments as well as development partners.
The latest policy shift comes amid rapid expansion in tertiary education, with the National Universities Commission approving 33 new universities in 2025, raising the total number of universities in the country to 309.
