The Nigerian government is asking the Senate to stop approving bills that establish new federal universities and polytechnics, and it wants that pause to last seven years. Education Minister Tunji Alausa made the case directly to the Senate, arguing that the country simply cannot afford to keep opening institutions it does not have the resources to run properly.
At the heart of the argument is a staggering 1.3 trillion naira debt owed under the ASUU revitalisation fund, money already promised to existing universities that has not been paid. Alausa pointed to serious infrastructure deficits across current institutions as further evidence that expansion at this moment would do more harm than good.
The push comes amid long-running tensions between the government and academic unions over underfunding in the university system. Approving new schools while legacy institutions struggle for basic resources has been a quiet contradiction in federal education policy for years, and the minister is now saying that out loud.
Whether the Senate will agree to the moratorium remains to be seen. Lawmakers have historically been willing to approve new institutions, often as political wins for their constituencies. That habit is precisely what the government is now asking them to give up.
Originally published by AllAfrica.