FG Threatens To Sanction Tertiary Institutions Of Establishing Illegal Campuses

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has stated that rather than focusing on improving existing campuses, some Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts of tertiary institutions are diverting limited resources to set up inadequately equipped new satellite campuses.

A statement by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations on Thursday, Boriowo Folasade, disclosed that the minister said the campuses are counterproductive and detrimental to educational standards.

The minister warned that any satellite campus established without prior approval through their respective regulatory agencies National Universities Commission (NUC) , the National Board for Technical Education ( NBTE) and the National Colleges of Education (NCCE) will face strict sanctions.

In a directive contained in a memo dated May 30, 2025 and addressed to the Executive Secretary of these regulatory agencies, the minister expressed serious concern over the growing trend of unregulated and unjustified establishment of satellite campuses by Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

According to the minister, many of these newly created Satellite campuses lack the necessary academic, strategic, and infrastructural backing to justify their existence.

Alausa emphasised that the unapproved proliferation of satellite campuses undermines the integrity, quality, and sustainability of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

He directed the three regulatory agencies, NUC, NBTE and NCCE, to formally inform all Federal Tertiary Institutions under their purview that henceforth, no satellite campus is to be established without the express approval of the Honourable Minister of Education through these regulatory agencies.

He further stressed that failure to comply with this directive will not be treated lightly and will attract appropriate disciplinary measures.

“The Federal Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, remains committed to upholding the standards of higher education in Nigeria and ensuring that every expansion within our tertiary education system is strategically planned, well-resourced, and aligned with national development goals,” the statement said.

FG Threatens To Sanction Tertiary Institutions Of Establishing Illegal Campuses is first published on The Whistler Newspaper