While the government’s intentions to improve standards and ensure stability in the Nigerian University System (NUS) are understandable, the effectiveness of a moratorium as a sole solution to the litany of challenges plaguing universities is highly debatable. IYABO LAWAL explores the nuances.

In March this year, the federal government announced a decisive shift in policy. The Federal Executive Council approved a six-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.

The directive, which follows a similar ban on public institutions imposed in August 2025, signals what the Minister for Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described as a necessary pause to consolidate existing institutions and strengthen quality-assurance mechanisms.

The Nigerian higher education sector has seen significant growth, with a ballooning number of universities across federal, state, and private ownership.

This expansion has attracted concerns from the National Universities Commission (NUC) regarding the quality of some of these institutions.

The commission has also expressed worries about what it termed as “indiscriminate conferment” of honorary doctorate degrees, suggesting a general concern about unchecked expansion and its implications for academic standards.

It is against this backdrop of perceived oversupply and quality concerns that the federal government, through the NUC, announced a six-year moratorium on new university licenses.

Without a doubt, this development signals a concerted effort to pause growth across the higher education spectrum. The government’s implicit argument is that such a temporary halt will allow existing institutions to consolidate, improve, and address systemic issues.

While the government’s intentions to improve standards and ensure stability are understandable, the effectiveness of a moratorium as a sole solution is debatable.

The NUC itself has been identifying and warning against operations of illegal universities and “honorary degree mills.” This suggests that the issue might be less about the number of institutions and more about the quality assurance and regulation of those operating.

Many institutions, especially private ones, advertise gleaming buildings and manicured lawns. A university is indeed a service, an ecosystem designed for intellectual growth, critical thinking, research, and skill development.

So, when the focus shifts to aesthetics over pedagogy, or profit over purpose, the core value proposition of higher education is lost. The standard should not be measured by the size of lecture halls, but by the calibre of teaching, the relevance of research, the employability of graduates, and the impact on society. Nigeria’s challenge, as identified, lies not just in the “influx” but in a fundamental disconnect between what universities are and what they should be.

The focus on infrastructure as a primary selling point reflects a misunderstanding of this service-oriented nature.

According to critics, the government’s moratorium on private institutions, following a similar directive for public ones, suggests a reactive, rather than a proactive strategy. It also indicates that the existing regulatory mechanisms are perceived as insufficient to ensure quality amid growth. The problem is not just “influx,” it is an “influx without adequate quality assurance.”

To genuinely address the challenges in Nigerian higher education, the government has been advised to pivot from a moratorium-based approach to a comprehensive, long-term strategy focused on quality, relevance, and sustainable growth.

The scale of Nigeria’s university expansion is staggering. According to the NUC, the country currently operates 309 universities: 168 private, 74 federal, and 67 state institutions.

Private universities now constitute over 54 per cent of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, a dramatic transformation from the landscape of 1999 when the country had just 49 universities.

The education minister, while briefing reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, explained the rationale behind the moratorium.

“Access is no longer the major issue in the country. We have many tertiary institutions, both public and private. We need to help private institutions remain financially sustainable.”

The minister revealed striking statistics that underscore the capacity challenges facing the sector. Of the 2.3 million Nigerians who applied for tertiary education through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) last year, fewer than 228,000 secured admission, even as many institutions are operating well below capacity.

The moratorium is not the government’s first attempt to curb what many describe as unchecked proliferation.

In August 2025, the FEC approved a seven-year ban on the establishment of new public tertiary institutions, citing low or zero enrolment in several newly created institutions and the resultant waste of public resources.

The March 2026 directive extends this principle to the private sector, creating a unified pause across the entire tertiary education landscape.

Alausa reiterated that the decision followed a rigorous review process that halted over 350 inactive private university applications, though nine new ones whose applications had been pending for over six years were approved.

“If we want to improve quality and not be a laughing stock globally, the pragmatic step is to pause the establishment of new federal institutions,” the minister said.

The reaction from academic stakeholders has been largely supportive, though some argued that the moratorium does not go far enough. The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Christopher Piwuna, wished the moratorium were for a much longer period than seven years. He would prefer 15 years.

Perhaps the most searing critique of Nigeria’s university expansion comes from those who argue that the proliferation has fundamentally altered the nature of these institutions.

“Universities are fast becoming like real estate without thinking of the value chain,” one observer noted. “University is beyond real estate; it’s actually a service.”

The NUC has established a comprehensive framework for quality assurance, codified in the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), developed through sustained stakeholder interactions beginning in 2018.

The Education Act CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, empowers the NUC to lay down minimum standards for all universities and other degree-awarding institutions. Under the current framework, universities must score at least 70 per cent in four core areas (Academic Matters, Staffing, Physical Facilities, and Library) to achieve full accreditation status from the commission.

The NUC Executive Secretary, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, defended the agency’s regulatory regime, describing it as “one of the most robust quality assurance ecosystems in Africa,” pointing out that countries like Namibia, Gambia, and the Niger Republic have come to understudy its best practices. Yet, critics argued that the existence of robust standards on paper does not guarantee their enforcement in practice.

The proliferation of institutions that fail to meet these standards suggests a gap between regulation and implementation, a gap that a moratorium, however well-intentioned, may not close.

In global academic standards, a university’s value is measured by its progression from curriculum relevance to graduate employability. A 2025 assessment found a significant lack of structured career guidance in Nigeria.

In the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States, the “Career Development Centre” is as central as the registrar’s office. In the U.S., regional accreditors like Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) demand proven faculty qualifications, 85 percent+ retention rates, and student success metrics.

New institutions operate provisionally for five years before full status. Average enrolment is about 2,800 students, with continuous oversight.

The UK’s Office for Students (OfS) even tracks graduate outcomes (high-skilled work within 15 months) to determine if a school provides “value for money.” The OfS tests market entry via financial viability plans and Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) ratings. Completion rates above 85 per cent are non-negotiable; proliferation stays in check.

South Africa, which shares with Nigeria a complex history of educational inequality and rapid post-apartheid expansion, has taken a different path. Rather than imposing moratoriums, South Africa has focused on institutional consolidation and differentiation, merging smaller institutions into comprehensive universities and creating a tiered system that distinguishes between research-intensive universities, comprehensive universities, and universities of technology.

This approach acknowledges that not all institutions need to serve the same functions or meet identical standards.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, university expansion has been accompanied by rigorous, independent accreditation systems that operate outside direct government control.

Regional accrediting bodies in the U.S. evaluate institutions against established standards, and loss of accreditation effectively closes an institution. This creates market-driven accountability that complements government oversight.

Singapore presents yet another model. The country deliberately limits the number of universities, focusing instead on building a small number of world-class institutions with global research reputations.

Singapore’s six universities include globally ranked institutions like the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, supported by substantial government investment and strategic partnerships with international universities.

Meanwhile, Germany’s system offers lessons in balancing public and private provision. While Germany has a robust private university sector, all institutions (public and private) must meet rigorous state-approved accreditation standards.

The country also maintains a clear distinction between universities (which focus on research and theoretical education) and universities of applied sciences (which emphasise practical, vocational training).

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and Council on Higher Education (CHE) require registration, sustainability proofs, and 70 per cent audit pass rates.

Post-COVID moratoriums focused on viability, keeping total enrolment manageable at about one million.

Nigeria diverges sharply: 270 universities serve 2.9 million students (versus America’s 20 million across 4,000), yet 40 per cent of private institutions under-enrol, pushing observers to conclude that global best practice measures service, the Nigerian system fixates on facilities.

These comparative examples suggest that the challenge facing Nigeria is not simply one of numbers, but of differentiation, quality enforcement, and alignment between institutional missions and national needs.

As Nigeria enters the six-year moratorium period, stakeholders held that the focus must shift to what happens during the pause.

For Prof Usman Gambo of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), said that while the government has articulated a vision of using this time to strengthen existing institutions, improve infrastructure, and ensure financial sustainability, translating this vision into reality will require sustained effort across multiple fronts.

“First, there is the matter of accreditation enforcement. The NUC’s 70 per cent threshold for full accreditation in four core areas provides a clear benchmark. The question is whether the commission will apply these standards rigorously across all existing institutions, including those that have previously been granted waivers or accommodated through political influence.

“Second, there is the challenge of institutional differentiation. A university located in an agricultural belt, for example, should lead research in agronomy and food processing, while those in industrial hubs should focus on engineering and technological innovation.

“Third, there is the imperative of research funding and faculty development. The brain drain crisis, driven by poor remuneration and limited academic opportunities, continues to erode the quality of teaching and research across Nigerian universities.”

On his part, Prof. Oladipo Akinnuga of Ekiti State University (EKSU) noted that government initiatives such as the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) are a start, but pointed out that a sustained investment is required to reverse the outflow of talented academics.

He warned that without a clear strategy for supporting private universities during the moratorium period, some may face closure, potentially disrupting the education of thousands of students.

He said, “There is the question of financial sustainability for private universities. Alausa has expressed concern that reforms making public universities more affordable could further reduce enrolment in private institutions, which may eventually result in closure.”

The moratorium is set to end in 2032. The challenge for NUC is ensuring this period is not just a pause in growth, but a surge in quality.