The Federal Government has granted operational licenses to nine new private universities in Nigeria, a move aimed at expanding access to quality higher education. This was announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Dr. Alausa explained that the current administration inherited a backlog of 551 applications for tertiary institutions, some of which had been pending for over six years. Following a review and the introduction of new reforms to streamline the process, the list was narrowed down to 79 active cases, with nine ultimately receiving approval from the FEC.
The minister acknowledged that inefficiencies and bottlenecks within the National Universities Commission (NUC) were the primary cause of the initial delays. He stated that the new approvals are a result of “clearing this backlog” and that many of the new institutions had already invested billions of naira in campuses and facilities while awaiting accreditation.
The newly approved private universities and their locations are:
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
In a related development, the FEC also approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. According to the Minister, this policy is a strategic shift to focus on improving the quality and capacity of existing federal institutions rather than creating new ones. He cited issues like under-utilized institutions and a decline in academic quality as the main reasons for the ban.
