Tinubu approves new science varsity in Lagos despite 7-year ban 

According to him, the decision was to address the duplication of institutions which has led to significant deterioration in both infrastructure and manpower.

“What we are witnessing today is duplication of new federal tertiary institutions, a significant reduction in the current capacity of each institution, and degradation of both physical infrastructure and manpower.

“If we do not act decisively, it will lead to marked decline in educational quality and undermine the international respect that Nigerian graduates command.”

Alausa had insisted that there was proliferation in the numbers of tertiary institutions and a critical disconnect between the number and prospective students.

“For the 2024-2026 academic sessions, about 2.1 million young Nigerians applied to our tertiary institutions,” he said.

“However, 199 universities had fewer than 99 applicants, and remarkably, 34 universities had zero candidates applying at all.

“This worrying trend repeats itself in polytechnics and colleges of education too. In fact, 295 polytechnics had fewer than 99 applicants, and 219 colleges of education suffered similar fates, with 64 colleges receiving no applicants at all.”

This, according to the minister, translates into wasted resources and inefficiencies.

The minister had said that the government plans to redirect resources toward upgrading the current institutions, improving both physical infrastructure and manpower, and expanding the capacity of existing universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.