The debate on proliferation of tertiary institutions in Nigeria is as old as the sector itself, with many arguing that expansion of institutions will bridge admission gap and allow for more access to higher education for Nigeria’s teeming youth population.
However, the danger of prioritizing assess over capacity, is that it not only leaves us with half-baked graduates, but also a retrogressive society constantly struggling to catch-up in today’s fast paced world.
Nigeria currently has a total of 283 universities, comprising 63 federal, 63 state, and 149 private universities, yet Nigerian universities generally fall within the 801-1000 and 1001-1200 bands on the global university rankings.
Despite this relatively poor performance, several other universities are in the process of acquiring provisional license from the National Universities Commission.
Only in February, President Bola Tinubu, assented to two separate bills establishing the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State and the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State.
This is in addition to an earlier approval the president granted on February 3, 2025, establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology, FUET, Tai, Rivers State.
The president also consented to the Federal Government’s takeover of a forfeited private university in Southern Kaduna and its transformation into a federal university.
Over 11 additional universities have been established between February 2024 and February this year alone, as the number of universities increased from 272 in February last year to the current 283.
Only last week, Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, expressed concern over the proliferation of universities, blaming the development to mounting pressure from the National Assembly.
With over 200 pending bills seeking to establish new universities, Nigeria is at risk of exacerbating an already strained higher education system.
Instead of prioritizing quality education, the government appears to be focused on the mere proliferation of institution, an approach that threatens to erode the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities rather than strengthen it.
Most of them grapple with inadequate facilities, poorly funded research, and low academic rankings. Yet, rather than addressing these deficiencies, resources are being extended on establishing new universities to join the trail of struggling institutions and further stretch the already inadequate funds from government.
Like the minister of education rightly pointed out during his session at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, allocations are divided equally among public tertiary institutions, meaning that the more institutions created, the less funding each receives. This trend is counterproductive and only serves to weaken the entire system.
Another concerning development is the trend of converting polytechnics and colleges of education into universities, making them deviate from the original purpose for which they were established in the first place. For instance, while colleges of education were established for the training of professional teachers, polytechnics were set up to provide specialized education for technical and vocational skills.
Their rave towards university degrees undermines their core mandate. Similarly, specialized universities, such as universities of technology, are now offering courses in arts and humanities, deviating from their intended purpose. Such a lack of focus in Nigeria’s higher education sector does not serve students or the nation’s broader economic needs.
A major contributor to the proliferation of universities is the uncontrolled expansion of state-owned universities. Some states, despite their limited financial capacity, continue to establish multiple universities, relying heavily on federal intervention funds to sustain them. This trend is unsustainable.
Every state in Nigeria already has at least one federal university, a state university and one federal polytechnic. There is little justification for a single state to have three or more state-owned universities when the available ones remain underfunded and underperforming.
Instead of creating more institutions, states should focus on consolidating their existing universities and polytechnics, converting them into single institutions with multiple campuses and annexes. This approach would not only enhance financial efficiency but also expand their carrying capacity, enabling them to accommodate more students without compromising quality.
Global comparison of leading education systems have shown that quality education is not about the number of institutions, but about the resources and strategic planning invested in them. Countries like Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom focus on strengthening existing institutions by equipping them with the latest technology, improving research capabilities, and ensuring that lecturers and students alike have access to world-class facilities.
Nigeria, on the other hand, seems to prioritize numbers over substance, which has resulted in the steady decline of its universities on global rankings.
In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, no Nigerian university made it into the top 500, largely due to poor funding, inadequate research output, and substandard infrastructure.
The Nigerian government must therefore take a lesson from nations that have successfully built strong university systems by consolidating and improving existing institutions instead of continuously establishing new ones that lack sustainability.
One of the most glaring issues facing Nigerian universities is funding. Budgetary allocation to education in Nigeria has remained inadequate.
Despite UNESCO’s recommendation that at least 15-20 percent of a nation’s budget should be allocated to education, Nigeria’s budget for education has consistently fallen below this benchmark. In 2024, education received a mere 8percent of the national budget, which is insufficient to support even the existing institutions, let alone fund new ones.
With TETFund already struggling to distribute its limited resources among the current institutions, the rapid creation of new universities only compounds the issue.
When funding is spread too thin, universities are forced to operate under suboptimal conditions, leading to poorly maintained classrooms, outdated laboratories, inadequate hostel facilities, and underpaid lecturers.
Furthermore, improving lecturer remuneration and training must be prioritized, as attracting and retaining top academic talent is essential for quality education. Many Nigerian lecturers leave for better-paying opportunities abroad, leaving a vacuum in the system.
Another key strategy is strengthening vocational and technical education. Rather than converting polytechnics into universities, the government should revitalize them to provide world-class vocational and technical training, which is crucial for national development.
The National Assembly should halt the indiscriminate approval of new universities until there is a clear plan for sustaining the existing ones.
Nigeria must shift its focus from expansion to strengthening capacity. The current obsession with increasing the number of universities without ensuring their viability is a recipe for disaster.
The reckless expansion of universities is not the solution to Nigeria’s education crisis. Quality, not quantity, should be the guiding principle in shaping the future of higher education in Nigeria.
