The news that a seven-year moratorium has been placed on the establishment of new tertiary institutions in Nigeria did not spring a surprise to close watchers of the unwieldy, uncontrolled and haphazard issuance of licenses to many proprietors who had no inkling of the educational needs of the Nigerian society.

The education sector has been bedeviled by a policy framework that had been a vice rather than virtue for the construction of quality building block for solid tertiary education in Nigeria.

From the time the first license was granted to Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State on May 10, 1999 till the time of recent justifiable intervention by the Minister for Education, Dr Alausa, it has been “free for all” in that sector.

It is most unfortunate that the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo which inherited the “defective” blueprint from the military did not take a second look at it for the purpose of reviewing it to suit the need and the dream of our nation.

In his justification of the “ban”, the Minister for Education reeled out damning statistics that showed clearly that most of these Institutions were grossly under-subscribed and therefore, possibly overstaffed. Some were just listed in the JAMB brochure with no student picking them as a choice.

In his words “199 universities received fewer than 100 applications through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board last year, with 34 recording zero applications.” The situation in the polytechnics was, pathetically, not different.

While one may want to appreciate the Minister for his prompt decision which is based on the stark reality that “poorly subscribed institutions risked producing ill-prepared graduates, eroding the value of Nigerian degrees internationally, and worsening unemployment,” yet, the action of the Federal Executive Council in out-rightly placing seven year moratorium on the establishment of new institutions is like throwing away the baby into the drainage with the bathwater.

There are several questions to be raised on the policy of establishing a tertiary institution, the purpose of its establishment and the national needs and goals. These key factors as mentioned by the minister are bound to be the outcome of a policy that fails to network and synchronise the needed lifeline for the survival of that sector.

The National Universities Commission and the National Board for Technical Education seem to have no answer or they are too overwhelmed by many intractable and multidimensional problems around the administration of the institutions. Does the two major regulatory bodies take into cognizance the fact that these institutions do not have to offer all programmes to make the desired impact on the social, economic and technological needs of the nation?

According to World Bank “Tertiary education is instrumental in fostering growth, reducing poverty, and boosting shared prosperity. A highly skilled workforce, with lifelong access to a solid post-secondary education, is a prerequisite for innovation and growth: well-educated people are more employable and productive, earn higher wages, and cope with economic shocks better.” The world body noted that diversification of institution types and delivery modalities are essential to meet this target.

The crux of the problem in the registration of more tertiary institutions in Nigeria is not the quantity but the quality of the established institutions that are in the case of Nigeria based on very weak guidelines put in place by the National Universities Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.

It seems these regulatory bodies are unaware that set parameters that are based on strict adherence to national need and aspirations are essential for quality service delivery in that sector.

Nigeria can borrow a leaf from countries with similar characteristics in the sense of their population distribution and plurality. India is a case in point.

In India for example, there are about 165 Institutions of “National Importance.” This nomenclature clearly distinguishes them from the all comers universities that offer several programmes, courses and subjects.

There are for instance about 25 Indian Institute of Information Technology scattered across various states of India, one Indian Statistical Institute, 20 Indian Institute of Management, seven Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, about 33 National Institute of Technology, 23 Indian Institute of Technology, 15 Indian Institute of Medical Sciences and many others that are deliberately carved to be different from the conventional universities that are offering multidisciplinary programmes.

The quality of the product of these institutions have rubbed positively on the economy and technological growth of that country to the extent that the country is no longer a push-over in world business.

Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that virtually the entire manufacturing industry in Nigeria is dominated by Indians many of who are products of the aforementioned institutions. It is on record that these institutions have dominated the production of human resources for many industries in the world.

The Indian model if adopted will safe our tertiary institution from the monotony of replicating courses that are not only saturated in terms of manpower but also lack the in-depth skill that is required to run the society in the most effective way.

As at 2025, there are at least 75 Federal, 67 State and 160 Private universities in Nigeria. This is cumulatively aboutv300 universities. Some of these universities are supposed to offer specialised programmes. Examples are the Universities of Technology, Universities of Agriculture, Universities of Education and others. These institutions exists in nomenclature but lack the spirit of the speciality for which they are set up with the taxpayers monies.

No sooner their gates are open than they began to wear the garb of general purpose universities. With all courses and subjects available in them, they are at the end of the day not different from conventional universities.

One wonders what a university of Agriculture or that of technology is doing with a full fledged Faculties of Education and Business Administration. Granted that they may have relevant courses in these areas but this does not warrant the establishment of a full fledged college within the university or polytechnic.

In registering private institutions, the National Universities Commission and the National Board for Technical Education should insist on specialized areas. The NBTE should register more monotechnics than polytechnic while the NUC should focus on Universities offering programmes that focus on skill acquisition.

In conclusion, “banning” the establishment of tertiary institutions in Nigeria may not be the final answer.

Rather, the watchdogs need to functionally play their given designation with clarity and commitment.

Arbitrary registration of tertiary institutions without placing the national goal on the table for the proprietors to decipher and appreciate that the services they intend to provide transcends the ambit of profit alone cannot but end in abysmal failure.

Ojikutu is Professor of Statistics (retired), University of Lagos.