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Stakeholders in the education sector have thrown their weight behind the federal government’s decision to place a moratorium on the establishment of new tertiary institutions.
NAN reports that the federal government, on 13 August, announced a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, citing under-enrolment, resource strain, and inefficiency in existing institutions.
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The decision, reached at a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, is part of measures to reform the higher education sector.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the stakeholders argued that expanding the capacity of existing institutions would be more impactful and cost-effective.
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The Vice-Chancellor of Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, Adesola Ajayi, said the proliferation of universities in recent years has stretched Nigeria’s already limited educational infrastructure.
Mr Ajayi noted that, while Nigeria has a variety of universities, including federal, state, and specialised institutions, many of them operate far below capacity, due to inadequate infrastructure and facilities.
“Most of our first, second and third generation universities can increase their intake by up to 25 per cent or even 50 per cent of their current enrollment, but they don’t have the infrastructure and facilities to do so.
“They don’t have the laboratories, the workshops, the classrooms that will accommodate the students.
“We already have the different categories of higher institutions. Expansion of access by infrastructural upgrade is better than expansion of access by establishing new ones.
“The fund for the establishment of new schools should be deployed to address these infrastructural deficits in the existing institutions,” he said.
The vice chancellor said there are higher institutions that have fewer than 1,000 students, even 10 years after they were established.
According to the VC, many newly established universities, particularly those located in remote areas, lack basic infrastructure and struggle to attract workers
He added that some tertiary institutions were inaccessible to the students and staff members.
“It is unfortunate that our politicians are seeing these higher institutions as dividends of democracy that must come to their corners.
“Most of these institutions they attracted to their communities are not accessible. They are in remote areas and do not have the facilities and infrastructure to attract students and workers.
Mr Ajayi suggested that a 10–15-year pause on creating new universities would give the government time to significantly expand the capacity of existing institutions by channelling resources into upgrading their infrastructure and facilities.
Corroborating the position, Sola Adeyanju, head of Public Affairs, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), described the moratorium as “a very good decision.”
Mr Adeyanju stressed that building new universities without adequate personnel and infrastructure would only spread limited resources thinner.
“If you have a new university, you need new hostels, offices, roads, water, and electricity, yet the big ones we already have are barely surviving.
“Why not expand the existing ones rather than multiply the infrastructure?” he asked.
He, however, called for greater investment in technical and vocational education, noting that this would address Nigeria’s shortage of skilled professionals more effectively than opening more conventional universities.
Also, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Noah Yusuf, expressed strong support for the federal government’s decision.
Mr Yusuf said the policy could help curb the politically motivated proliferation of federal higher institutions across the country.
According to him, many of the federal universities and colleges established in recent years were sited mainly to satisfy political interests, often sparking conflicts between politicians and communities over their locations.
READ ALSO: Nigerian govt imposes 7-year ban on establishment of new public universities, polytechnics
“With this moratorium, politicians will have to put a stop to these unnecessary actions.
“It is a good move that will allow the government to concentrate on existing federal institutions,” he said.
The education scholar urged the government to use the break to properly fund and upgrade existing institutions, applying UNESCO’s recommended budgetary allocation to education.
He stressed that this would improve infrastructure, teaching quality, and research output across the country’s public universities and colleges.
Mr Yusuf said the moratorium could yield positive results in terms of improved regulation, better funding, and enhanced stability in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
He also highlighted the growing importance of private universities, noting that they have become the backbone of Nigeria’s higher education system by offering uninterrupted academic calendars and timely graduation.
“The future of higher education in Nigeria lies with private universities.
“They now outnumber public universities and provide stable, qualitative education,” he stated.
(NAN)
