The Federal Government has granted approval for the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, marking a pivotal step in the country’s higher education development. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during a briefing with State House correspondents following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The newly licensed institutions are:
1. Leadership University, Abuja
2. Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State
3. Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State
4. Bridget University, Mbaise, Imo State
5. Unique Open University, Lagos State
6. JEFAP University, Niger State
7. Greenland University, Jigawa State
8. Azione Verde University, Imo State
9. American Open University, Ogun State
Dr. Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited a backlog of 551 pending applications for the establishment of new tertiary institutions. After a thorough review under stricter approval guidelines, the list was reduced to 79 active applications, with nine universities receiving approval on Wednesday.
The Minister noted that many of these newly approved universities had been waiting for accreditation for over six years, with their promoters having already invested billions of naira in campus development and infrastructure. He attributed the delays largely to inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“Due to systemic inefficiencies within the NUC, approvals were delayed for years. However, we have now implemented reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals demonstrate our commitment to clearing this long-standing backlog,” Alausa said.
Additionally, Dr. Alausa announced that the Federal Government has placed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Moving forward, only institutions that meet newly established operational standards will be considered for approval.
This strategic move aligns with the government’s broader vision to enhance the quality and accessibility of higher education in Nigeria, with a focus on improving educational infrastructure and expanding opportunities for students.
