FG approves 9 new private universities across Nigeria

In a bid to boost access to higher education, the Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities across various states in the country.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the development on Wednesday during a press briefing in Abuja. The announcement came shortly after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House.

According to the minister, the move aligns with the government’s commitment to expanding learning opportunities and fostering competition in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

The newly approved institutions are Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State; Leadership University, Abuja; Unique Open University, Lagos State; and American Open University, Ogun State.

Others are: Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State; Bridget University, Mbaise, Imo State; Greenland University, Jigawa State; JEFAP University, Niger State; Azione Verde University, Imo State;

Alausa said the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications for the establishment of tertiary institutions, which were subjected to stricter approval guidelines. He noted that the list was reduced to 79 active applications, out of which nine were approved on Wednesday.

“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,” the minister said.

Recall that the government had also announced a halt to the establishment of more federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.