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The Federal Government has appealed to the National Assembly to suspend the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years, citing funding constraints, infrastructural deficits and declining academic standards in existing institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the appeal in a memo dated November 2, 2026, addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The memo, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147 urged the Senate leadership and other lawmakers to exercise restraint in considering bills seeking to establish additional federal tertiary institutions in line with the government’s seven-year moratorium.
Alausa said the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting on August 13, 2025, approved the moratorium to address the proliferation of public tertiary institutions, duplication of academic programmes, under-utilisation of existing facilities and the government’s diminishing capacity to adequately fund the sector.
According to him, the immediate challenge confronting Nigeria’s tertiary education system is no longer simply expanding access but strengthening existing institutions through improved funding, infrastructure, personnel and modern teaching and research facilities.
“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,” he stated.
He said the moratorium would enable the government to consolidate existing investments and improve the quality and carrying capacity of institutions already established.
The minister expressed concern that legislative proposals for additional federal tertiary institutions continued to receive attention despite the government’s policy direction.
While acknowledging the constitutional powers of the National Assembly to initiate and enact legislation, he said such initiatives should be guided by prevailing national education policies, demonstrable educational needs and the financial implications of establishing new institutions.
Alausa listed inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities among the challenges confronting existing federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
He warned that spreading limited resources across more institutions without addressing the deficiencies of existing ones could further undermine the quality of tertiary education.
The minister also highlighted the Federal Government’s outstanding financial commitments to the revitalisation of public universities.
He disclosed that of the N1.3 trillion commitment under the 2013-2018 Federal Government-ASUU revitalisation agreement, only N250 billion was reportedly released between 2013 and 2021.
Similarly, he said only N50 billion was initially released out of the additional N150 billion approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, leaving a substantial outstanding commitment.
He said the funding gaps raise concerns about the government’s capacity to sustain existing obligations while establishing additional institutions.
The minister cited the experiences of Ekiti and Imo states as examples of the financial and administrative difficulties associated with establishing multiple tertiary institutions without sustainable funding arrangements.
He recalled that three state-owned universities in Ekiti State were consolidated into Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011, while Imo State had also undertaken institutional reviews and integration.
Alausa further disclosed that some state governments had approached the Federal Government to take over their universities because of their inability to sustain them financially.
He said the experiences demonstrated the risks of establishing institutions without adequate long-term funding, noting that such institutions could eventually require costly mergers, restructuring or integration.
The minister also cited international experiences in Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa, where institutional consolidation had been adopted to address financial constraints, duplication of programmes and administrative inefficiencies.
He said Nigeria should prioritise institutional viability, academic quality and efficient utilisation of public resources rather than the continuous increase in the number of tertiary institutions.
Alausa listed Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) infrastructure development, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), vocational and skills acquisition programmes, as well as the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Tools Allowance (CONTTA), among competing funding priorities.
He warned that establishing new institutions would impose long-term financial obligations on successive administrations, including take-off grants, land acquisition, infrastructure, recruitment, equipment procurement, utilities and recurrent expenditure.
The minister cautioned that establishment bills passed without comprehensive feasibility studies, demonstrable educational needs and credible funding arrangements could produce institutions that exist only in law but lack the capacity to function effectively.
However, he clarified that the moratorium was not intended to permanently deny Nigerians access to tertiary education or prevent future expansion where compelling national needs existed.
Rather, he said it was designed to provide time for the government to consolidate existing investments, address institutional deficiencies, improve academic standards and ensure that future expansion was properly planned and financially sustainable.
Alausa therefore appealed to Akpabio and the leadership of the National Assembly to support the policy by exercising restraint in the consideration and passage of bills for the establishment of additional federal tertiary institutions during the seven-year period.
He maintained that the success of Nigeria’s education system should be measured by the quality of education delivered, the competence of graduates and the contribution of institutions to national development, rather than the number of institutions established.
