The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, marking a significant expansion in the country’s private tertiary education sector.
This development was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during a media briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the minister, the approval of these universities is part of efforts to clear a backlog of applications that had stalled for years, with some pending for more than six years due to inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission (NUC). Alausa noted that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 such applications, which were subjected to a more rigorous screening process. As a result, the list was reduced to 79 active applications, with nine finally granted approval.
He explained that many of the newly licensed universities had already developed their campuses and invested billions of naira in infrastructure while awaiting accreditation. The approvals, he said, are the result of recent reforms aimed at streamlining the licensing process.
Alausa further disclosed that a moratorium has now been placed on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This restriction will remain in place except for institutions that fully comply with newly introduced operational standards aimed at improving quality and sustainability in Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape.
