The Federal Government has approved nine new private universities to operate across Nigeria, increasing the number of privately owned tertiary institutions in the country.
The approvals were announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, after a Federal Executive Council meeting led by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Wednesday.
The newly approved universities are 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.
According to Dr. Alausa, the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications for new tertiary institutions.
After reviewing and applying stricter guidelines, the number of active applications was reduced to 79, with the nine newly approved universities clearing a backlog that, in some cases, had lasted over six years.
The minister explained that delays in approvals were caused by inefficiencies in the National Universities Commission, which have now been addressed through reforms.
Many of the newly approved institutions already had operational campuses and had invested billions of naira while waiting for accreditation.
A moratorium has been set on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, with only institutions that meet the new operational standards allowed to apply.
