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The Federal Government has given the green light for the establishment of nine new private universities nationwide. Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, announced this approval on Wednesday during a briefing with State House reporters following a Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The newly authorized 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.
Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration took over 551 pending applications for new tertiary institutions, which were subjected to more rigorous approval standards. This process has reduced the count to 79 active applications, with nine being approved on Wednesday.
He noted that many of the newly approved universities had waited for accreditation for over six years, with their founders having already constructed campuses and invested billions of naira.
"Due to inefficiencies within the NUC, approvals faced delays. We have now implemented reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals reflect the resolution of this backlog," Alausa stated.
The minister also mentioned that the Federal Government has imposed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except for those that comply with the new operational standards.
