President Bola Tinubu’s administration has announced a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal tertiary educational institutions across Nigeria.
The decision was reached during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the President.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed to State House correspondents that the ban applies to all categories of tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Alausa explained that Nigeria’s current challenge in the education sector is not about access but the proliferation of institutions, which has negatively affected both infrastructure and human resources.
He noted that the duplication of tertiary institutions has contributed to the deterioration in standards.
“If we do not act decisively, it will lead to marked declines in educational quality and undermine the international respect that Nigerian graduates command,” he said.