President Bola Tinubu’s led Federal Government has voiced strong reservations about proposals in the National Assembly seeking to establish nearly 200 new universities across the country.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa raised these concerns in Abuja during the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing, emphasizing that the current system is already under strain.
“There are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue like this,” Alausa said. “Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there. What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens.”
Currently, Nigeria has 278 universities: 64 federal, 67 state, and 147 private institutions. Last month, the government introduced a one-year suspension on licensing new private universities, aiming to strengthen academic and financial standards in existing institutions.
The minister stressed that the focus should be on improving infrastructure and faculty quality rather than multiplying institutions. “We need to stop this (the 200 bills for new universities) from happening. There is so much pressure on the president. We have to, at least, be sensitive to it as well,” he said.
Alausa acknowledged the lawmakers’ intentions but highlighted the need for better resource allocation. “I understand the sentiment of our legislators. They want to show that they are working. We know they are working. But then, we have enough assets, we have enough opportunities out there for students to go to universities.”
Despite the moratorium on private universities, the federal government has continued to approve new public institutions. Recently, President Tinubu signed bills to establish universities in Osun and Ekiti states, and approved the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Rivers State. Additionally, the government took over the privately owned NOK University in Kaduna, converting it into the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia.
In the same period, approvals were granted for 11 private universities, including New City University in Ogun State, University of Fortune in Ondo, and Kevin Eze University in Enugu, among others.
The government maintains that prioritizing the development of existing institutions — through better infrastructure, well-equipped laboratories, and globally competitive faculty — is the best path to improving the country’s higher education system.
