Nigeria’s National Universities Commission, NUC, has come under criticism over what many have described as a “bazaar” of university approvals, following the licensing of at least 50 new institutions, both public and private, between 2023 and 2025.
NUC, in its latest move, granted provisional licenses to 11 new private universities on April 30, 2025, pushing the total number of universities in the country to 295.
The decision marks the third wave of such approvals under two years, reflecting the Federal Government’s continued push to widen access to higher education through private sector participation.
Recall that on May 15, 2023, the Commission approved 37 private universities, with licenses issued on June 9, 2023.
Another two institutions were added on December 13, 2023, bringing the total number of private universities approved within a 23-month window to 50.
As of April 2025, Nigeria’s university landscape comprises: 160 private universities, 61 state universities, and 78 federal universities.
While the approvals open new doors for access and competition, critics have warned that quantity must not trump quality, calling on NUC to intensify post-licensing oversight to avoid producing “mushroom institutions” incapable of delivering world-class education.
However, the accelerating pace of approvals has sparked debate within academic circles, with critics arguing that the expansion, while addressing access, risks compromising quality.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has repeatedly condemned the trend, alleging that many of the newly approved institutions lack infrastructure, qualified faculty, and academic credibility.
“These new universities are nothing more than political constituency projects,” Prof. Namo Timothy, ASUU Zonal Coordinator in Bauchi, said in a recent interview with the press.
“Everyone wants a university in their village. But a university is not a primary school; it is a serious academic institution that must be built on substance, not sentiment,” Namo added.
He further decried the conversion of secondary school compounds into makeshift campuses, warning that Nigeria’s current model cannot compete with peer institutions in other West African nations.
According to the union, focusing on increasing the number of institutions without improving funding and infrastructure would lead to a decline in the quality of education.
“You don’t just build two classrooms or structures in any place and call it a university. Go to Ghana and other West African countries to see what university is all about.
“In Nigeria, some secondary schools are being converted to universities without any structure in place. All these universities cannot compare and/or compete with their counterparts in other parts of the world,” Namo said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, in February, directed the National Universities Commission, NUC, to imposed a one-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities in Nigeria with effect from Monday, February 10, 2025.
Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, who conveyed the directive in a statement, said the commission was also in the process of reviewing the guidelines for the establishment of private universities in Nigeria to ensure that newly licensed institutions are well-positioned to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
According to Ribadu, in an effort to reposition private universities in Nigeria to better meet the needs of the populace and enhance the coordination of the private university education sub-sector, it has identified the need to review the guidelines for establishing private universities.
NUC also announced an upward review of the application forms and processing fees, adding that the fee for purchasing application forms for the establishment of a private university has been increased from N1,000,000.00 to N5,000,000.00.
The commission added that the processing fee for the application to establish a private university has also been raised from N5,000,000.00 to N25,000,000.00.
Alausa ‘s directive effectively suspended further processing of all inactive applications, including those for private open universities.
However, some stakeholders argue that each year, approximately six million Nigerians sit for WAEC and NECO exams; of these, nearly two million apply for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, yet only about 400,000 secure university admission, leaving a staggering backlog of hopefuls stranded.
Promoter of Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, Mr Isaac Balami, highlighted this as a glaring indicator of Nigeria’s urgent need for more universities.
Balami noted that while India has been launching new universities almost weekly over the past decade, Nigeria continues to lag far behind in expanding access to tertiary education.
Balami argued that Nigeria’s large population justifies the establishment of more universities, provided they meet quality and capacity standards to fulfill their academic mandates.
