FG opposes national assembly’s plan for 200 new universities

Speaking at the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, the Minister of Education Tunji Alausa stated that the country does not need more universities but rather strengthened capacity and improved infrastructure in existing institutions.

He noted that lawmakers have introduced almost 200 bills seeking to establish new universities, but this move is unrealistic given the current state of higher education.

“We can’t continue like this. Even though we have many universities, their capacity to admit students is still limited. What we need to do now is rebuild capacities to offer more viable courses to our citizens,” Alausa said.

He stressed that instead of establishing new institutions, the government should focus on developing engineering workshops, laboratories, and hiring internationally qualified teachers to enhance the quality of education.

Nigeria currently has 278 universities, including 64 federal, 67 state, and 147 private institutions.

However, private universities account for only 7.5% of total undergraduate enrolment, which stands at 875,000 students—a figure the minister described as fairly low.

Despite a one-year moratorium on new private universities, the Federal Government has continued to approve new federal institutions, some of which were influenced by powerful individuals within the executive and legislative arms.

Recently, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies in Osun, the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences in Ekiti, and the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Rivers.

When contacted for a response, Senate and House of Representatives spokesmen Yemi Adaramodu and Akin Rotimi declined to comment, as did Philip Agbese and Hassan Fulata of the House Committee on University Education.