The Federal Government has warned that it will impose strict sanctions on any federal university that establishes satellite campuses without the express approval of the Minister of Education.
This was made known in a memo dated May 30, 2025, from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to the National Universities Commission (NUC), and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Dr. Alausa said the directive is part of the government’s efforts to restore the quality and integrity of tertiary education in Nigeria. He instructed the NUC to communicate clearly to all federal universities that no satellite campus should be established without first seeking and obtaining approval from the ministry, through the Executive Secretary of the NUC.
He described the growing trend of universities creating satellite campuses without proper planning as alarming, stating that many of these campuses lack strategic, academic, and infrastructural justification. Rather than strengthening and expanding the capacity of existing campuses, some vice chancellors have been found to be opening new, under-resourced locations.
According to the minister, this approach compromises the quality and sustainability of higher education in the country. He emphasized that the federal government will not tolerate such practices and warned that institutions that fail to comply with the directive will face consequences.
The development follows a long-standing concern over the proliferation of unapproved campuses in the country. The NUC had previously declared such satellite campuses illegal and warned against their establishment. It also set up a committee to identify and recommend the closure of such institutions. The committee, reconstituted in 2021, reportedly made significant progress in tackling the issue.
