- Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced approval of nine new private universities, reducing 551 pending applications to 79 active cases
- New institutions include Tazkiyah University Kaduna, Leadership University Abuja, and seven others after clearing six-year application backlog
The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, bringing the country’s total number of tertiary institutions under private ownership to a new high.
Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, announced the approvals on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents following President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
The newly licensed universities are:
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Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State
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Leadership University, Abuja
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Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State
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Bridget University, Mbaise, Imo State
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Greenland University, Jigawa State
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JEFAP University, Niger State
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Azione Verde University, Imo State
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Unique Open University, Lagos State
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American Open University, Ogun State
Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications to establish tertiary institutions.
These were subjected to stricter guidelines, reducing the list to 79 active cases, nine of which were approved on Wednesday, clearing a backlog that had accumulated in some cases for over six years.
“Approvals were delayed due to inefficiencies within the National Universities Council. We have since implemented reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals are the result of removing the backlog,” the minister stated.
He added that many of the approved institutions already had campuses and had invested billions of naira while waiting for accreditation.
A moratorium has now been placed on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except those meeting the newly introduced operational standards.