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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
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.
The appeal was based on 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 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, underutilisation 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 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 listed inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities among the challenges facing existing institutions.
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The minister disclosed that of the N1.3trillion commitment under the 2013-2018 Federal Government-ASUU revitalisation agreement, only N250billion was reportedly released between 2013 and 2021.
Similarly, he said only N50billion was initially released out of the additional N150 billion approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention.
He warned that the funding gaps raised concerns about the government’s capacity to sustain existing obligations while establishing additional institutions.
Alausa cited Ekiti and Imo states as examples of the financial and administrative difficulties associated with maintaining multiple tertiary institutions.
He added that some state governments had approached the Federal Government to take over their universities because of financial difficulties.
The minister also cited institutional consolidation in Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa as examples Nigeria could learn from.
He listed Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) infrastructure development, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), vocational training and the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Tools Allowance (CONTTA) among competing funding priorities.
He cautioned that establishing new institutions without feasibility studies and credible funding arrangements could produce institutions that exist only in law but lack the capacity to function effectively.
