NUC Places Embargo On New Private Universities

…Hikes Application Fees To N25m

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced a one-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities in Nigeria, effective February 10, 2025.

The NUC, in a statement on Monday, said this will enable the commission to conduct a comprehensive review of pending applications and determine their viability.

The NUC also suspended the processing of inactive applications, including those from private open universities that have not made progress in two years.

Additionally, the statement said that applications at the initial stage of submission will not be processed.

To improve the quality of private universities, the Commission noted that it has increased the fee for purchasing application forms from N1 million to N5 million and the processing fee from N5 million to N25 million.

The moratorium will also affect the acceptance of fresh applications for private universities, including private open universities, the statement said.

However, the Commission noted that it will continue to process active applications and make recommendations to the Federal Executive Council for approval.

The NUC’s Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu in the statement emphasised the need to review the guidelines for establishing private universities to ensure they meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Part of the statement said, “The National Universities Commission is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education charged with the orderly development of University Education in Nigeria. By virtue of the provisions of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the Commission is empowered to provide guidelines for the establishment of private universities in Nigeria.

“In exercise of its mandates, the Commission has since 1999 recommended and the Federal Government has approved the establishment of 149 private universities in Nigeria to date.

“The Commission, in its efforts at repositioning Private Universities in Nigeria to better meet the needs of the citizenry and for better co-ordination of the development of the Private University Education sub-sector of the Nigerian University System (NUS), has identified the need to review the guidelines for the establishment of private universities. This is to ensure that newly established private universities are positioned to meet the challenges of the 21 Century.”

The Commission added that details of the review would be communicated to stakeholders in due course.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission will continue to process pending active. applications and make appropriate recommendations to the Federal Executive Council for approval,” the statement said.

NUC Places Embargo On New Private Universities is first published on The Whistler Newspaper