FG Approves Nine New Private Universities

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across the country, raising Nigeria’s number of privately owned tertiary institutions to a record level.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The newly licensed universities 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

• American Open University, Ogun State

Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications for the establishment of tertiary institutions, which were reviewed under stricter guidelines, reducing them to 79 active cases. The nine approved institutions, he said, were part of a backlog that in some cases had been delayed for over six years.

“Due to inefficiencies within the NUC, approvals were delayed. We have since introduced reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals are a result of clearing this backlog,” the minister stated.

He added that most of the newly approved universities already have campuses and have invested billions of naira while awaiting accreditation.

Alausa further announced a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except for those that meet newly introduced operational standards.