The Federal Government has appealed to the Senate and other lawmakers to suspend the approval of bills seeking to establish new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years, warning that the continued creation of tertiary institutions could deepen the country's education funding challenges.
The government said the proliferation of public tertiary institutions, coupled with inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits and shortages of qualified personnel, was threatening the quality and sustainability of Nigeria's higher education system.
The appeal was contained in a memo issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on November 2, 2026, and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
In the document, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, urged the National Assembly to align its legislative activities with the Federal Government's seven-year moratorium on the establishment of additional federal tertiary institutions.
Alausa disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the moratorium at its meeting on August 13, 2025, as part of measures to address the duplication of academic programmes, under-utilisation of existing facilities and the government's declining ability to adequately finance the sector.
According to him, Nigeria's priority should be to strengthen existing institutions rather than continue expanding their numbers without sufficient resources to sustain them.
He explained that the policy would enable the government to consolidate previous investments, improve infrastructure and enhance the academic capacity of existing universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The minister noted that many federal tertiary institutions were struggling with inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, poorly equipped laboratories, insufficient accommodation, deteriorating facilities and shortages of qualified academic and non-academic personnel.
He warned that establishing more institutions under these circumstances would further stretch available resources and potentially compromise educational standards.
Providing figures to illustrate the funding challenges, Alausa disclosed that out of the ₦1.3 trillion committed by the Federal Government under the 2013–2018 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for university revitalisation, only ₦250 billion was reportedly released between 2013 and 2021.
He added that of the additional ₦150 billion approved in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, only ₦50 billion was initially released.
The minister said the outstanding commitments raised questions about the government's ability to adequately finance additional institutions while meeting existing obligations.
Alausa also referenced the experiences of Ekiti and Imo states, noting that the establishment of multiple tertiary institutions without sustainable funding had created financial and administrative difficulties.
He recalled that three state-owned universities in Ekiti were merged into a single institution, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011.
He further noted that Imo State had also undertaken institutional reviews and integration following the establishment of several tertiary institutions under previous administrations.
According to the minister, some state governments had equally approached the Federal Government for assistance in taking over their universities because of their inability to sustain them financially.
He cautioned that institutions established without proper financial planning could eventually become liabilities, requiring costly mergers, restructuring or outright closure.
The memo also cited international examples from Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa, where institutional consolidation had been adopted to reduce administrative costs, eliminate duplication and improve the utilisation of public resources.
Alausa maintained that Nigeria should embrace similar reforms by prioritising the viability, efficiency and academic quality of existing institutions.
He identified other competing education sector commitments, including Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) infrastructure projects, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), vocational and skills acquisition programmes, as well as the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Tools Allowance (CONTTA).
He argued that these interventions required consistent funding and could be jeopardised if additional institutions were established without clearly defined and sustainable sources of financing.
The minister further explained that establishing a tertiary institution came with long-term financial responsibilities, including land acquisition, take-off grants, infrastructure development, recruitment, equipment procurement, utilities and recurrent expenditure.
He warned that approving establishment bills without comprehensive feasibility studies, clear evidence of national educational needs and credible funding arrangements could produce institutions that exist only in law but lack the capacity to function effectively.
However, Alausa clarified that the seven-year moratorium was not intended to permanently prevent the establishment of new institutions or deny Nigerians access to tertiary education.
Rather, he said the policy would provide an opportunity to address existing deficiencies, strengthen academic standards, consolidate investments and ensure that future expansion was driven by genuine national needs and sustainable financial planning.
He consequently appealed to Akpabio and the leadership of the National Assembly to support the moratorium by exercising restraint in considering and passing bills for the establishment of additional federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education during the seven-year period.
The minister stressed that the effectiveness of Nigeria's tertiary education system should be determined by the quality of education delivered, the competence of graduates produced and the contribution of institutions to national development, rather than the number of institutions established.
The memo was also copied to the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
