By Onilede Titi Faith
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has criticised the Federal Government’s approval of new private universities, despite a recently announced seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new tertiary institutions.
In a statement on Thursday signed by ASUU President Christopher Piwuna, the union described the decision as contradictory and questioned the rationale behind granting new licences when access to university education is no longer considered Nigeria’s primary challenge.
“ASUU also watched in awe as the Federal Government announced the seven-year moratorium; they proceeded to announce the establishment of nine new private universities.
“If we agree that access is no longer an issue, why is the NUC giving more licences to private universities?” the statement read.
While recognising the rights of individuals to establish private institutions, ASUU stressed that education must be strictly regulated to maintain quality.
The union condemned what it called the “scandalous proliferation” of universities, accusing successive administrations of issuing licences as political patronage rather than in response to national educational needs.
According to ASUU, Nigeria currently has 72 federal, 108 state, and 159 private universities, totaling 339 institutions, averaging nine per state, excluding polytechnics and colleges of education. The union warned that unchecked expansion could worsen staffing shortages, undermine Nigeria’s global university rankings, and devalue academic degrees.
ASUU further highlighted that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, had recently noted that some federal universities operate below capacity, with fewer than 1,000 students in certain northern institutions despite having over 1,200 staff; a situation described as a waste of government resources.
The union urged the government to prioritise addressing challenges in public universities, including renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, release of revitalisation funds, payment of salary arrears, and clearance of promotion backlogs.
The Federal Executive Council had on August 13, 2025, approved a seven-year suspension on new federal tertiary institutions to allow for the consolidation and strengthening of existing universities.
