NIGERIA: FG Approves Nine New Private Universities, Ends Six-Year Accreditation Delay

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

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The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across the country, bringing relief to promoters who have waited more than six years for accreditation.a

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the approval on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

The newly approved institutions 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; and American Open University, Ogun State.

Alausa disclosed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending requests for the establishment of tertiary institutions, which were reviewed under stricter guidelines.

According to him, the number was reduced to 79 active applications, out of which nine were approved on Wednesday.

The minister said: “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.”

He added that many of the institutions had already built campuses and invested billions of naira while awaiting approval.

The Federal Government has now placed a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except those that meet the new oper

ational standards.