The federal government has appealed to the National Assembly to suspend the passage of bills establishing new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for seven years.
The appeal is contained in a communication to the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
The minister says the Federal Executive Council approved the moratorium in August 2025 to address the proliferation of tertiary institutions, duplication of programmes and inadequate funding.
Alausa says existing federal tertiary institutions are grappling with inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortage of qualified personnel and deteriorating infrastructure.
He warns that establishing more institutions without addressing these challenges could further weaken academic standards and the quality of education.
He cites the experiences of Ekiti and Imo States, which undertook consolidation and restructuring of some tertiary institutions due to financial and administrative challenges.
The minister also notes that establishing new institutions comes with long-term financial obligations, including infrastructure, personnel, equipment, utilities and recurrent expenditure, which successive governments must sustain.
Alausa clarifies that the moratorium was not intended to permanently restrict access to tertiary education but to allow government consolidate existing investments, improve infrastructure and academic standards, and ensure sustainable funding.
He therefore urges the National Assembly to exercise restraint in considering bills for new federal tertiary institutions, stressing that the success of the education sector should be measured by the quality of graduates and institutions rather than their number.