Education remains the bedrock of national development. For any country, tertiary institutions serve as centres of knowledge production, research, innovation, and the training of human capital that drive socio-economic growth. Nigeria, with its large population and youthful demographics, has witnessed an explosion in the number of universities over the past three decades. Both public and private institutions have sprung up in all corners of the country.
Currently, there are 72 federal universities; 42 federal polytechnics and 28 federal colleges of education. However, the proliferation of the tertiary institutions has not been matched with proportional investments in infrastructure, quality assurance, or the recruitment of highly qualified academic staff. Against this backdrop, the recent policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria to place a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new universities is a bold, pragmatic, and commendable intervention. In not less than four of my interventions in my column—such as “Meritocracy and the issue of quota system in Nigeria: A critical examination” (The Sun, 10th July 2025) https://thesun.ng/meritocracy-and-the-issue-of-quota-system-in-nigeria-a-critical-examination/; “Just before we inaugurate the governing councils” (The Sun, 23rd May 2024) https://sunnewsonline.com/just-before-we-inaugrate-the-governing-councils/; “NUC: Please, save the nation” (The Daily Sun, 20th January 2022) https://www.sunnewsonline.com/nuc-please-save-the-nation/; “Tertiary education and the future of Nigeria: Another perspective!” (The Sun, 2nd December 2021) https://www.sunnewsonline.com/tertiary-education-and-the-future-of-nigeria-another-perspective; “Secondary education and culture of bullying” ( The Sun, 9th December 2021) https://www.sunnewsonline.com/secondary-education-and-culture-of-bullying and “Need For Practical Education in Nigeria” –( The Sun, 2nd May 2024) Need For Practical Education in Nigeria – The Sun Nigeria
I have advocated this ban. Hence, it gladdens my heart that the decision is finally taken. Kudos to the cerebral, energetic, pragmatic visioner and missioner in the person of Dr Maruf Alausa, the Honourable Minister for Education of the country. The essence of the freeze, according to the Minister, is “…. to improve education quality and sustain the international respect Nigeria’s graduates enjoy, warning that continuing the current trend risks producing poorly trained graduates and increasing unemployment’. Over the years, successive governments in Nigeria have licensed numerous universities, federal, state, and private, with little attention to whether existing ones are functioning optimally. At present, Nigeria has well over 270 universities, yet the quality of education remains a source of grave concern. There are myriads of challenges bedeviling the tertiary institutions in Nigeria. As indicated in some of my discourses, the primary challenge has been that of lack of infrastructure in the institutions. This is not unconnected with the underfunding of most of the institutions in the country. Most public institutions struggle with inadequate funding, leading to poor infrastructure, dilapidated lecture halls, ill-equipped laboratories, and under-resourced libraries. As if this is insufficient concern, we have dearth of quality lecturers in the country.
The demand for lecturers far outweighs the supply. Many universities employ visiting or part-time lecturers to fill the gap, which undermines quality and consistency. In fact, almost half of those you even find in the institutions and who parade themselves as academics today, are in the business of lecturing for lack of alternative employment. In fact, as soon they find openings elsewhere, they vamoose immediately, thus compounding the already bad situation. Even where some are available, the quality is often nothing to write home about. As opined above, the continuous presence of some of the lecturers is due to lack of alternative as even the conditions of service are unattractive to retain any academic personnel that knows his onions.
Even for those in the service, frequent industrial disputes constitute the order of the day. Owing to poor remuneration, infrastructural decay, and government insensitivity, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions often embark on strikes, disrupting the academic calendar. This is virtually a permanent feature of our universities in contemporary times. Another seeming factor that is the harbinger of the proliferation is the question of admission and capacity mismatch.
I consciously used the term ‘seeming’ as the revelation by the Honourable Minister unveils the fact regardless of the seeming admission pressure, there are still so many institutions that are largely empty. What this suggests therefore is that there is either inappropriate location of the said institutions or multiplicity of the courses. The challenge could also be traceable to the fact of irrelevancy of some of the courses offered. Thus, despite the large number of tertiary institutions in the country, millions of Nigerian youths still lack access to higher education, as accessible existing institutions cannot absorb the yearly demand.
The window of private universities has equally not assisted the system in terms of birthing quality graduates or products. While some private universities have contributed positively, many are profit-driven, often compromising standards in pursuit of revenue. The net effect is full commercialization of education and lowering of quality. Despite these large numbers of tertiary institutions, millions of Nigerian youths still lack access to higher education as existing institutions cannot absorb the yearly demand. Thus, the proliferation of the institutions to meet the demand has not translated into improved quality, equitable access, or global competitiveness.
Stemming from the above endemic challenges, the viable solution is to apply the break, at the barest minimum. Ideally, the moratorium ought to apply to all organs and promoters of tertiary institutions in the country, be it the federal or state government, or the private entities. What afflicts the federal institutions truly impacts all other states or private institutions. Even if the private institutions escape the challenge of funding, the reality is that there is dearth of quality academic personnel.
To that extent, they equally need to be paused. As per the federal institutions, the Honourable Minister had intimated the public with the fact that ‘the unchecked proliferation of under-utilized institutions, which has led to inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and declining student enrollment across the country’s federal tertiary education system’ justifies the need for the moratorium. In fact, in the Minister’s assessment, ‘access to tertiary education in Nigeria is no longer a major issue’, and justifying this reality, the Minister was reported to have given an instance where “one northern university has 1,200 staff catering to fewer than 800 students…….(while) 199 universities had fewer than 100 applicants through JAMB last year, with 34 recording zero applications”.
The government’s decision to suspend the creation of new universities for seven years is therefore anchored on the need to consolidate and strengthen the existing ones. This approach reflects a recognition that quantity without quality is a dangerous path. The pause creates a window to redirect efforts and resources toward addressing the challenges of governance, funding, staffing, and research output in the already existing institutions. The Minister further justified the policy on the ground that ‘the moratorium will allow the government to refocus resources on improving existing institutions by upgrading facilities, recruiting qualified staff, and expanding their carrying capacity. In the light of the above, the policy aligns with global best practices. Nations that lead in education such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom prioritize funding and quality enhancement over mere proliferation. Nigeria’s focus should not be on numbers, but on excellence and sustainability.
Thus, as opined by the Minister, ‘the seven-year freeze is intended as a reset for Nigeria’s tertiary education system, prioritizing quality over quantity and ensuring sustainable development of higher education institutions’. There are so many benefits derivable from this policy of the federal government than enunciated by him. By halting the establishment of new universities, the scarce resources of government and private investors can be directed toward revitalizing existing institutions. Instead of spreading thin, the policy ensures concentration of funds on improving infrastructure, laboratories, ICT capacity, and libraries. This consolidation of resources is what is crucially needed in the face of dwindling resources of the country.
As observed earlier, the freeze will enable access to quality personnel. With no new universities competing for scarce lecturers, attention can be given to training, re-training and retaining competent academic staff. Sabbatical opportunities, research grants, and improved remuneration can help stem the exodus of Nigerian academics to foreign institutions. Another accruable advantage is the enhancement of research and innovation in our tertiary institutions. Existing institutions can receive targeted investments to strengthen research capabilities.
The current poor showing of Nigerian universities in global rankings is tied to weak research funding. By focusing on strengthening existing schools, Nigeria can produce knowledge that contributes meaningfully to global discourse and solves local problems. With stronger, better-funded universities, the frequency of industrial actions will reduce in our tertiary institutions. Improved conditions for staff and students foster stability in academic calendars, ensuring graduates enter the labour market at predictable intervals. This ultimately stabilizes the academic calendar.
Again, when the pace of licensing new tertiary institutions is curtailed, monitoring and accreditation of existing institutions become easier. The regulatory bodies will now be able to enforce stricter quality control measures. With the combination of all the above, public confidence in the institutions will be restored. Many Nigerians that now seek university education abroad, draining scarce foreign exchange will have a change of mind. It is not in most cases that Nigerian parents are happy sending their wards abroad for education but necessity compels them.
Strengthening domestic institutions will therefore restore public trust and reduce the outflow of students to countries like Ghana, South Africa, the UK, and even Benin Republic. What does this portend for our National Development? With a stronger and more stable tertiary education system, Nigeria can produce graduates who are better equipped with the skills, knowledge, and values required for the 21st-century workforce. This is crucial for industrialization, digital transformation, and economic diversification of the country. By creating better working conditions for lecturers and researchers, the moratorium indirectly combats the mass exodus of Nigerian academics. Retaining this pool of talent strengthens the intellectual foundation of the nation. Given the current fiscal constraints, Nigeria cannot sustainably fund the endless creation of new institutions while the existing institutions are in shambles. The ban allows for realistic prioritization of available resources to yield maximum impact. This aligns with the economic reality of the country. Quality education (SDG 4) is central to achieving other goals such as poverty reduction, gender equality, and economic growth. The moratorium contributes to this global agenda by fostering inclusive, equitable, and quality education. To have a gain of these advantages, certain pragmatic steps must be taken. The gains cannot happen automatically without concrete triggers. In this regard, Government must increase funding for education, moving closer to UNESCO’s recommendation of 15–20% of the national budget. Existing universities should be encouraged to partner with the private sector for research, funding, and innovation hubs. This will also unveil areas of much-needed capacity. There must be aggressive programs of capacity development where investment in training of lecturers, both locally and abroad would be prioritized.
Although, I am aware that the current leadership of the Ministry of Education at the federal level is revolutionizing education by digital transformation, more e-learning platforms, virtual libraries and ICT-driven teaching methods such as blackboard must be embraced, encouraged and promoted. The relevant educational regulatory bodies must equally be seen to regularly assess the impact of this policy, ensuring that institutions improve in quality, research output, and graduate employability.
Taking cognizance of all the above, it is obvious that the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on establishing new universities is a courageous and commendable step toward rescuing Nigeria’s ailing higher education system. It is a recognition that expansion without consolidation breeds mediocrity. By pausing proliferation and focusing on strengthening the foundation, the government has demonstrated foresight in addressing systemic challenges. If implemented with sincerity and supported by complementary reforms, the policy will restore the credibility of Nigerian universities, enhance research and innovation, and reposition the nation for sustainable development. Rather than lamenting the ban, stakeholders should seize this opportunity to consolidate, reform, and build a university system that can compete globally and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s future. In this respect, we may need to extend same to both states and private universities.
