Less than 24 hours after the Nigerian government placed a ban on establishing new tertiary institutions in the country, it has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across the country.
The government however explained that the development followed years of bureaucratic delays that left hundreds of such applications unattended to.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed the development to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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Alausa explained that when the Tinubu administration came into office, it inherited a staggering 551 applications for new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education – some of which had been pending for over seven years. Many promoters had already invested heavily in infrastructure, but their projects remained stalled due to what he described as “slow and cumbersome” approval processes.
“We met a backlog that was totally unacceptable,” Alausa said. “We streamlined the procedure, ensured strict adherence to standards, and reduced the applications to 79 that met our requirements. Out of these, nine have now been approved by the Council.”
The Newly Approved Universities
- Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State
- Leadership University, Abuja
- Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State
- Bridget University, Mbaise, Imo State
- Greenland University, Jigawa State
- JEFAP University, Niger State
- Azione Verde University, Imo State
- Unique Open University, Lagos State
- American Open University, Ogun State
The minister stressed that the approvals were granted only after the institutions met stringent requirements, including adequate funding, qualified academic staff, appropriate governance structures, and well-equipped facilities.
He further announced that the government had placed a moratorium on fresh applications for establishing new universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education until the newly approved institutions are fully operational and existing schools are strengthened.
“We cannot keep licensing new universities without ensuring quality,” Alausa noted. “Our priority now is to support these approved institutions to thrive, while enforcing compliance with academic and operational standards.”
The decision marks the first major clearance of the country’s long-standing tertiary education backlog, signalling a shift towards policy-driven growth in the sector after years of stagnation.
