The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a six-year ban on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the quality and sustainability of existing tertiary institutions.

The decision was reached at a meeting of the council presided over by Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the temporary freeze was necessary to address concerns about the rapid expansion of tertiary institutions without adequate capacity to maintain standards.

According to him, the move will allow the government to focus on improving infrastructure, funding and academic quality in already existing institutions while ensuring the financial sustainability of private universities.

“Today, access is not easy in the country. We have lots of tertiary institutions, both public and private. We need to help these private institutions be sustainable financially,” Alausa said.

Citing figures from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the minister noted that more than 2.3 million candidates applied for admission into tertiary institutions last year, but fewer than 228,000 secured placements in public universities.

In a related development, the council also approved the restoration of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC) as a fully independent commission.

Alausa explained that the decision followed a presentation by the commission’s leadership outlining an ambitious plan to tackle illiteracy in the country.

“Today, we have about 56 million Nigerians that are illiterate. We can’t continue to have a high number of citizens that are illiterate,” the minister said.

He added that NMEC plans to educate more than 50 million young adults within the next two to three years while also equipping them with digital literacy skills. The commission will expand its outreach through radio and television programmes, community-based learning centres and advocacy campaigns, particularly in rural areas.

The council also approved amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act to recognise medical fellowships as equivalent to a PhD for academic progression in universities.

Additionally, FEC granted comprehensive insurance coverage for the 180 federal unity schools across the country.

NMEC was originally established under Decree No. 17 of 1990, later codified as Act No. 18 of 2004, with the mandate to design and implement strategies aimed at reducing illiteracy through collaboration with federal, state and local governments as well as non-governmental organisations.

Meanwhile, the development comes amid the continued expansion of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, with the National Universities Commission approving 33 new universities in 2025, bringing the total number of universities in the country to 309.