The Federal Government has urged the Senate to halt the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years, warning that continued proliferation of tertiary institutions could worsen the country’s education funding crisis and undermine academic standards.
The appeal was contained in a memo dated November 2, 2026, issued by the Federal Ministry of Education and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
In the memo, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, appealed to the Senate leadership and other lawmakers to exercise restraint in considering bills seeking to establish additional federal tertiary institutions in support of the Federal Government’s seven year moratorium.
Alausa disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting on August 13, 2025, approved the moratorium as part of efforts to address the growing proliferation of public tertiary institutions, duplication of academic programmes, underutilisation of existing facilities and the government’s declining capacity to adequately fund the sector.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s immediate challenge is no longer simply expanding access to tertiary education but strengthening existing institutions through improved funding, infrastructure, personnel and modern teaching and research facilities.
He said the moratorium would provide an opportunity 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, Alausa maintained that such initiatives should be guided by national education policies, demonstrable educational needs and the financial implications of establishing new institutions.
He warned that spreading limited resources across more institutions without addressing the challenges confronting existing ones could further weaken the quality of tertiary education.
According to him, existing federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are facing serious funding and infrastructure deficits, including inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities.
Alausa argued that creating more institutions under such circumstances could compound the sector’s difficulties rather than improve access to quality education.
The minister also raised concerns about the Federal Government’s outstanding financial commitments to the revitalisation of public universities.
He disclosed that under the 2013–2018 Federal Government-ASUU revitalisation commitment of ₦1.3 trillion, only ₦250 billion was reportedly released between 2013 and 2021.
He further revealed that of the additional ₦150 billion approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, only ₦50 billion was initially released, leaving a substantial outstanding commitment.
Alausa said the funding gaps demonstrated the difficulty of meeting existing obligations and raised concerns about the government’s capacity to sustain additional institutions without corresponding and guaranteed budgetary provisions.
He cited Ekiti and Imo states as examples of the financial and administrative difficulties associated with establishing multiple tertiary institutions without sustainable funding arrangements.
According to him, three state owned universities in Ekiti State were consolidated into one institution, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011.
He also noted that Imo State had undertaken institutional reviews and integration following the establishment of several tertiary institutions under previous administrations.
The minister added that some state governments had approached the Federal Government to take over their universities because of their inability to sustain the institutions financially.
He warned that institutions established without sustainable funding arrangements could eventually require costly restructuring, mergers or integration by successor administrations.
Alausa also cited international experiences in Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa, where institutional mergers and consolidation had been adopted to address financial constraints, duplication of programmes and administrative inefficiencies.
He said Nigeria should prioritise institutional viability and academic quality rather than continuously increasing the number of tertiary institutions.
The minister further identified competing funding priorities within the education sector as another reason lawmakers should support the moratorium.
He 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) for academic and non academic personnel.
He warned that these interventions required sustained funding and should not be undermined by the creation of additional institutions without clearly identified sources of financing.
Alausa stressed that establishing a tertiary institution involved more than passing an enabling law, as it imposed long-term financial obligations on government, including take off grants, land acquisition, infrastructure, recruitment of personnel, procurement of equipment, utilities and recurrent expenditure.
He cautioned that passing establishment bills without comprehensive feasibility studies, demonstrable national educational needs and credible long term funding arrangements could result in institutions that exist only in law but lack the resources and capacity to function effectively.
However, the minister clarified that the seven year moratorium was not intended to permanently deny Nigerians access to tertiary education or prevent future expansion where compelling national needs existed.
Rather, he said the policy was designed to give the government time to consolidate existing investments, address institutional deficiencies, improve academic standards and ensure that any future expansion was properly planned and financially sustainable.
He therefore appealed directly to Akpabio and the leadership of the National Assembly to support the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium by exercising restraint in the consideration and passage of bills seeking to establish additional federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education during the period.
Alausa maintained that the success of Nigeria’s tertiary education system should not be measured by the number of institutions established but by their ability to provide quality education, produce competent graduates and contribute meaningfully to national development.
