The federal government has imposed a six-year ban on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education as part of efforts to strengthen quality and ensure sustainability across existing tertiary institutions.
The decision was reached at Wednesday's meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, minister of education, Tunji Alausa, said the temporary freeze is aimed at consolidating standards and improving financial stability, particularly among private institutions.
"Today, access is not easy in the country. We have lots of tertiary institutions, both public and private. We need to help these private institutions be sustainable financially," Alausa said.
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Citing data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the minister disclosed that over 2.3 million candidates applied for admission last year, but fewer than 228,000 secured placements in public universities, highlighting the growing demand-supply gap in higher education.
In a related development, FEC restored the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) to its full status as an independent commission. Alausa said the move followed a presentation by the commission's chairman outlining an ambitious plan to educate more than 50 million young adults within the next two to three years and equip them with digital literacy skills.
"Today, we have about 56 million Nigerians that are illiterate. We can't continue to have a high number of citizens that are illiterate," the minister said, noting that NMEC would intensify outreach efforts in rural communities through radio, television, public advocacy and community-based learning centres.
The council also approved amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act to recognise medical fellowships as equivalent to a PhD for academic progression. Additionally, comprehensive insurance coverage was approved for the 180 federal unity schools across the country.
NMEC was originally established under Decree No. 17 of 1990, later codified as Act No. 18 of 2004, with a formal commencement date of June 25, 1990. It serves as the primary statutory body responsible for designing and implementing strategies to combat illiteracy, in collaboration with federal, state and local governments, as well as non-governmental organisations.
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The development comes months after the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved 33 new universities in 2025, bringing the total number of universities in Nigeria to 309.
