Nigeria freezes new universities for six years
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Nigeria's Senate is asking its committees to suspend consideration of bills creating new universities and other higher education institutions, in line with the six-year federal moratorium. The pause is intended to allow existing institutions to consolidate their activities and improve their infrastructure, Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele said.
The Nigerian Senate has ordered its committees to suspend consideration of bills creating new universities and other higher education institutions, its leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced on Wednesday 4 November. The measure implements the six-year moratorium decided by the federal government, according to Punch.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said President Bola Tinubu opposed the creation of new universities, polytechnics and other institutions for five to seven years. This period is intended to allow existing institutions to strengthen their infrastructure and begin their academic activities in better conditions.
Godswill Akpabio added that several recently created institutions existed mainly on paper, with some not yet having a permanent site or having failed to complete land authorisation procedures. Opeyemi Bamidele asked Senate Clerk Emmanuel Odo to inform parliamentarians of the directive and the committees responsible for higher education to stop presenting bills to create new institutions in plenary.
The Senate president also recalled that universities must admit students from all regions of Nigeria. The government therefore wants to consolidate the distribution and investments already made in existing institutions before authorising new ones.
