The Federal Government has officially granted approval for the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s education sector.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday during a press briefing with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The newly licensed institutions include Tazkiyah University in Kaduna State, Leadership University in Abuja, Jimoh Babalola University in Kwara State, Bridget University in Mbaise, Imo State, Greenland University in Jigawa State, JEFAP University in Niger State, Azione Verde University in Imo State, Unique Open University in Lagos State, and American Open University in Ogun State.
Dr. Alausa explained that when the current administration took office, it met 551 pending applications for the establishment of various tertiary institutions. These applications were subjected to stricter guidelines, reducing the active list to 79, out of which nine have now been approved.
“Many of these universities had been awaiting accreditation for over six years, despite having invested billions of naira into infrastructure,” he said, attributing the delays to inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission (NUC). “We have since introduced reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals are a result of clearing this backlog.”
The minister further revealed that the Federal Government has placed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except for proposals that meet the newly established operational standards.
okaynews.com reports that the approved institutions are expected to expand educational opportunities, foster competition, and raise academic standards across the country.
