FG approves 9 new private universities amid 6-year delay

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across the country, ending years of stalled applications.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday, August 13, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

The newly approved institutions 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; and American Open University, Ogun State.

Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications for tertiary institutions.

Stricter guidelines introduced by the ministry reduced these to 79 active requests, of which nine were cleared for approval.

“Some of these universities had been waiting for over six years. Their promoters had built campuses and invested billions of naira, but approvals were delayed due to inefficiencies within the NUC,” he said.

According to the minister, recent reforms have streamlined the process, ensuring that qualified institutions are not trapped in bureaucratic delays.

“Today’s approvals are the result of clearing this backlog,” Alausa added.

The government has now placed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, allowing only those that meet the new operational standards to proceed.

The move is expected to expand access to higher education and ease pressure on public universities, which have faced increasing enrolment demands.