By John Umeh
The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, marking a significant step in expanding the country’s higher education capacity.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the announcement on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Alausa, the newly approved institutions are:
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Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State
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Leadership University, Federal Capital Territory, 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
The minister revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending requests for the establishment of tertiary institutions. These applications were subjected to stricter vetting under newly introduced approval guidelines, which reduced the number of active proposals to 79. Out of these, nine met the required standards and were cleared by the FEC.
Dr. Alausa noted that several of the approved universities had been seeking accreditation for more than six years, with their promoters having already constructed campuses and invested billions of naira in infrastructure.
“Due to inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission (NUC), approvals were unnecessarily delayed. However, we have implemented reforms to streamline the process, and today’s approvals reflect our commitment to clearing the backlog,” he explained.
He further disclosed that the Federal Government has placed a moratorium on fresh applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education—except for those that meet the new, more rigorous operational standards.
With these approvals, the number of private universities in Nigeria continues to grow, offering more opportunities for students in a system where public institutions remain oversubscribed.
