The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed strong disapproval of the Federal Government’s decision to approve licences for new private universities, despite its earlier announcement of a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new tertiary institutions. The union described the move as contradictory and a threat to the quality of higher education in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its President, Christopher Piwuna, on Thursday, ASUU recalled that the government had only recently declared a halt on the proliferation of universities across the country, citing issues of duplication, underfunding, and lack of proper planning. The union questioned why, in spite of this moratorium, the government proceeded to license nine new private universities.
“ASUU also watched in awe as the Federal Government announced the seven-year moratorium; they proceeded to announce the establishment of nine new private universities,” the statement read. The union stressed that while private individuals had the right to establish universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the government must exercise tighter control to safeguard quality.
The statement further argued that Nigeria already has a sufficient number of universities to cater to access needs. With 72 federal universities, 108 state-owned universities, and 159 private universities, the country currently boasts 339 universities. According to ASUU, this distribution averages nine universities per state, excluding polytechnics and colleges of education.
“If access is no longer a problem, why then is the NUC issuing more licences to private universities?” ASUU queried. The union accused both past and present administrations of turning higher education into a political tool rather than a sector for national development. It urged the government to halt all forms of proliferation, whether public or private, and focus instead on strengthening existing institutions.
ASUU also warned that unchecked proliferation would further diminish the international standing of Nigerian universities. The statement noted that poor staffing ratios, inadequate infrastructure, and weak governance had already excluded many Nigerian universities from global rankings. According to the union, “University administrations and the regulatory agency must equally share in the blame for the wrong staff mix highlighted in the minister’s pronouncement.”
While commending the moratorium announced by the Federal Executive Council on August 13, ASUU insisted that the policy was long overdue. It recalled that for more than a decade, the union had consistently opposed the indiscriminate establishment of “mushroom universities,” many of which were underfunded and poorly managed.
“For more than 10 years, our union has cried aloud about the harmful effects of establishing mushroom universities that the government has no plans to develop. In total disregard for time-tested planning and ideas that hitherto went into establishing universities, we have watched universities turn into compensation for political patronage,” ASUU stated.
The union further referenced the recent admission figures released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which showed that over 30 universities had zero subscriptions from applicants. ASUU argued that this was evidence of wasteful resource allocation, since existing universities were not operating at full capacity.
Echoing the same concern, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had earlier disclosed that several federal universities were underutilized. He gave the example of a northern university where 1,200 staff members were serving fewer than 800 students, describing it as “a waste of government resources.” According to him, unchecked duplication of institutions not only undermined efficiency but also eroded the value of Nigerian degrees internationally.
The Minister announced that as part of the new policy, the government would reform the guidelines for approving new private universities to ensure better efficiency. He added that some universities recorded fewer than 100 applicants in the last admission cycle, a trend that highlighted the risks of oversaturation.
Meanwhile, ASUU has once again reminded the Federal Government that unresolved issues affecting public universities and academics remain unattended. These include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, sustainable funding of universities, revitalisation projects, and the payment of outstanding salary arrears ranging from 25 to 35 percent.
The union also listed unresolved promotion arrears spanning over four years and unpaid third-party deductions as key grievances. Furthermore, it lamented the plight of retired lecturers under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), who have been left stranded due to what it described as “anti-people policies” of the government.
“Lamentably, the FGN has always turned a deaf ear to all our pleas. As always, it is the FGN that has consistently pushed our union to embark on a strike action,” the statement added. ASUU warned that if urgent steps were not taken to address these issues, it might have no choice but to resort to industrial action once again.
In conclusion, ASUU emphasized that the priority of the government should be on funding and improving the quality of existing universities rather than creating new ones for political or commercial purposes. The union urged authorities to honour agreements, prioritize the welfare of lecturers, and safeguard the integrity of Nigerian education before the system collapses further.
