The Nigerian Government has banned the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years.

The decision was approved at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.

It cited the proliferation of under-utilised institutions, overstretched resources, and a drop in academic quality.

FEC, however, approved nine new universities despite the freeze.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Alausa said the challenge in Nigeria’s tertiary education system was no longer access but inefficient duplication, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and dwindling enrolment in many existing institutions.

“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students. In one northern university, there are 1,200 staff serving fewer than 800 students. This is a waste of government resources,” he stated.

The minister noted that 199 universities received fewer than 100 applications through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board last year, with 34 recording zero applications.

Of the 295 polytechnics nationwide, he said, many had fewer than 99 applicants, while 219 colleges of education also posted poor enrolment figures, including 64 with no applications at all.

Alausa warned that unchecked proliferation of poorly subscribed institutions risked producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally, and worsening unemployment.