Abuja, Nigeria | August 24, 2025
The Federal Government has reaffirmed that the seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education remains in force, dismissing concerns that recent approvals of new private institutions amount to a policy reversal.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained that the nine newly approved private universities were not fresh applications but longstanding proposals that had been pending with the National Universities Commission (NUC) for over five years. He stressed that the approvals followed multiple stages of accreditation and compliance with NUC’s quality assurance processes.
“The moratorium applies strictly to federal tertiary institutions. What was approved are private universities whose applications have been in the system for years and had already passed through several layers of evaluation,” Alausa clarified.
The nine approved private institutions include:
Tazkiyah University, Kaduna
Leadership University, Abuja
Unique Open University, Lagos
American Open University, Ogun
Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara
Bridget University, Imo
Greenland University, Jigawa
JEFAP University, Niger
Azione Verde University, Imo
The minister noted that the government had inherited over 551 applications for new universities, narrowed them to 79 active proposals, and approved nine that met all requirements.
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the approvals, insisting that the unchecked proliferation of universities undermines quality and resources in the sector. The union called on government to extend the moratorium to private institutions as well.
Government officials maintain that the moratorium is designed to strengthen existing institutions, many of which currently operate at below 30 percent capacity, with some recording zero admissions in the latest JAMB exercise.