The Federal Government gave a green light for the establishment of nine new private universities across Nigeria, marking a major expansion in the country’s higher education sector.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the approvals on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

The newly licensed institutions include Tazkiyah University, Kaduna State; Leadership University, Abuja; Jimoh Babalola University, Kwara State; Bridget University, Mbaise, Imo State; Greenland University, Jigawa State; JEFAP University, Niger State; Azione Verde University, Imo State; Unique Open University, Lagos State; and American Open University, Ogun State.

Alausa revealed that the Tinubu administration inherited 551 pending applications for the establishment of tertiary institutions. Following a thorough review under stricter approval guidelines, the list was reduced to 79 active applications, with nine receiving the final nod on Wednesday.

He disclosed that many of the newly approved universities had been waiting for accreditation for over six years, with promoters already investing billions of naira in infrastructure and fully developing campuses.

“Due to inefficiencies within the NUC, approvals were delayed. We have since introduced reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals are a result of clearing this backlog,” the minister said.

Alausa further announced a moratorium on new applications for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, except for those that meet newly established operational standards, in a move aimed at improving quality and sustainability in the sector.