The federal government has voiced strong opposition to the National Assembly’s plan to establish nearly 200 new universities across the country.
Speaking at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa disclosed that about 200 bills are currently before the National Assembly seeking to create new universities. He warned that Nigeria’s education system is already overwhelmed and emphasized the need to strengthen existing institutions instead.
“They are passing a lot of bills. Today, I can tell you that there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue like this. Even though we have many universities, the capacity for admission is not there,” Alausa said.
He stressed that the focus should be on enhancing the capacities of existing universities rather than creating new ones.
“We need to stop this from happening. There is so much pressure on the president, and we must be sensitive to it. I understand the sentiment of our legislators—they want to show they are working, and we know they are. But we already have enough universities and opportunities for students,” he said.
“What we now need to do is mobilize more resources to develop infrastructure, build engineering workshops, establish laboratories, and recruit international-standard teachers. This will enable our universities to provide the high-quality education that Nigeria should be known for,” he added.
Alausa provided a breakdown of the country’s current university landscape, stating that Nigeria has 278 universities: 64 federal, 67 state, and 147 private. Despite the large number of institutions, private universities account for just 7.5 percent of total undergraduate enrollment.
“The total undergraduate enrollment today is just about 875,000, which is fairly low. We even have universities with fewer than 1,000 students, yet there is a growing demand for more universities. This must be addressed,” he stated.
As part of efforts to manage the situation, the government has temporarily halted the registration of new private universities.
