Breaking: Tinubu Bans Creation of Federal Universities, Others For Almost a Decade
- The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has announced the suspension of the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education
- Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, made the announcement following the FEC meeting presided over by the president at the presidential villa in Abuja
- Alausa said that the initiative was aimed at putting an end to duplications and waste, which would provide the avenue to consolidate resources in upgrading the existing facilities
The federal government has suspended the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for a period of seven years. The government noted that there are many federal institutions that were underutilised with overstretched resources and a drop in the quality of academics.
Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, announced the development while speaking to journalists following the meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja on Wednesday, August 13.
Source: Twitter
The minister explained that the moratorium applied to all categories of tertiary institutions under the federal government's watch and was aimed at putting an end to duplications and waste, which would provide the avenue to consolidate resources in upgrading the existing facilities and manpower.
Analyst speaks on suspending establishing new institutions
Omotayo Yusuf, a public analyst, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, said that although he did not think the decision was in the right direction, he expressed optimism that the development would bring improvement to Nigerian institutions. He said:
"I don’t think that the suspension of the establishment of new federal institutions is a policy decision in the right direction. Every year, we have seen new university springs up, not because we don’t need new universities in Nigeria, but for two reasons: wrong timing or they’re just done for recommendations from the government without much funds being put into them.
"We all agreed that education in Nigeria needs improvement, it needs more financing, it needs improvement, not just in lecturing but timeliness of the information that is being shared. However, what we have seen is the case of existing institutions not being up to par while new ones are being established.
"The infrastructure in the existing ones is in decay, old laboratories and all these reflect in the set of graduates that are being shunned out and how they are being managed in the job market. Hopefully, the suspension would allow the existing institutions to be improved."
Why Tinubu banned creation of new universities
Alausa explained that having access to tertiary education is no longer the country's problem. Rather, the proliferation of new ones stretched the resources, which led to deteriorating infrastructure and a drop in the quality of graduates.
This came days after the minister received rare bipartisan praise from both policy and academic experts for initiating a series of reforms aimed at revitalising the country’s struggling education sector.
Former director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, and legal scholar Professor Yemi Oke of the University of Lagos have both recently endorsed the minister’s initiatives, pointing to what they describe as unprecedented leadership and delivery in the sector.
Peterside hails BRIDGE initiative
Central to Alausa’s early reform agenda is the launch of the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative, a digital platform designed to connect Nigerian professionals abroad with institutions back home. The programme allows diaspora experts to contribute to national development efforts in education, healthcare, engineering, and other sectors without financial incentives, with the government covering only logistics.
Peterside, a development strategist and former federal agency head, described the platform as “a deliberate and commendable effort to align global expertise with national priorities.” He said it moves Nigeria beyond relying solely on remittances—estimated at $20.5 billion in 2024—towards actively engaging diaspora professionals in nation-building.
Source: Twitter
Alausa partners with Amazon
Legit.ng reported that the Ministry of Education, in a decisive push to reform Nigeria’s education landscape, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has unveiled a landmark initiative aimed at equipping students and teachers with in-demand digital skills.
The initiative, launched in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), is aimed at democratising access to training in emerging technologies, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Source: Legit.ng
