FEC Places Seven-Year Moratorium on Establishing New Federal Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially imposed a seven-year suspension on the creation of new federal tertiary educational institutions across Nigeria.

This major policy decision was reached and approved during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, with President Tinubu presiding.

According to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the moratorium will apply to all categories of tertiary institutions, including federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

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Reason for the Ban

Dr. Alausa explained to State House correspondents that the current problem facing Nigeria’s higher education sector is no longer about access to tertiary education, as the country already has a significant number of institutions.

Instead, the challenge lies in quality, infrastructure, and staffing. The Minister noted that the unchecked duplication and proliferation of tertiary institutions across the country has resulted in serious deterioration of school facilities and a shortage of qualified personnel.

“If we do not act decisively now, the continued duplication of tertiary institutions will cause a marked decline in educational standards and erode the international respect Nigerian graduates enjoy,”
— Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education.

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Impact on the Education Sector

The Federal Government’s decision is aimed at consolidating resources, ensuring better infrastructure development, and improving academic quality in existing institutions before considering the establishment of new ones.

Educational experts have noted that the move could help channel more funding and manpower to revamp existing federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, thereby improving their competitiveness on a global scale.