The Federal Government has approved nine new private universities across Nigeria to boost higher education access.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa said the move followed stricter review of pending applications nationwide.
The Federal Government has given the green light for the creation of nine new private universities in various parts of the country.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The approved institutions include Tazkiyah University in Kaduna State, Leadership University in Abuja, Jimoh Babalola University in Kwara State, Bridget University in Mbaise, Imo State, Greenland University in Jigawa State, JEFAP University in Niger State, Azione Verde University in Imo State, Unique Open University in Lagos State, and American Open University in Ogun State.
Alausa explained that the administration inherited 551 pending applications for the creation of new tertiary institutions. These were reviewed under stricter guidelines, which reduced the number to 79 active proposals. From this shortlist, nine universities were given final approval during the FEC meeting.
He noted that previous delays in processing such applications were linked to inefficiencies within the National Universities Commission (NUC). According to him, recent reforms have been implemented to make the approval process more transparent and efficient, leading to the clearance of the backlog.
It is important to note that the government had earlier suspended the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, focusing instead on strengthening existing institutions.
