States Beg FG To Take Over Universities As Funding Crisis Deepens

Some state governments are actually asking the Federal Government to take over their universities as a result of they will now not maintain them financially, a doc sighted by The Whistler has revealed.

The revelation was contained in a Federal Ministry of Education memo dated November 2, 2026, and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during which the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, appealed to the National Assembly to halt the institution of recent federal universities, polytechnics and faculties of schooling for seven years.

In the leaked memo, marked FME/DUE/NASS/153/Vol.1/147, the ministry urged the Senate management and different lawmakers to train legislative restraint in contemplating payments in search of to ascertain further federal tertiary establishments in help of the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium.

According to the memo copied to the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, Alausa disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its assembly of August 13, 2025, accepted the moratorium as a part of efforts to handle what he described because the rising proliferation of public tertiary establishments, duplication of educational programmes, under-utilisation of current amenities and the federal government’s declining capability to adequately fund the sector.

According to him, the quick problem dealing with Nigeria’s tertiary schooling system is now not merely the growth of entry however the necessity to strengthen current establishments by way of improved funding, infrastructure, personnel and fashionable instructing and analysis amenities.

“The Federal Government’s position is that the immediate challenge confronting the tertiary education sector is not merely the expansion of access, but the urgent need to strengthen existing institutions,” the minister acknowledged.

He added that the moratorium would offer a chance to “consolidate existing investments and improve the quality and carrying capacity of institutions already established.”

The memo expressed concern that legislative proposals for added federal tertiary establishments continued to obtain consideration regardless of the federal government’s coverage path.

While acknowledging the constitutional powers of the National Assembly to provoke and enact laws, Alausa maintained that such initiatives needs to be guided by prevailing nationwide schooling insurance policies, demonstrable academic wants and the monetary implications of building new establishments.

He warned that spreading restricted assets throughout extra establishments with out addressing the challenges confronting current ones might additional weaken the standard of tertiary schooling.

“Existing Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education are confronted with serious funding and infrastructure deficits, including inadequate lecture halls, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient laboratories, shortages of qualified personnel, accommodation deficits and deteriorating facilities,” he acknowledged.

The minister argued that creating extra establishments beneath such circumstances might compound the difficulties dealing with the sector fairly than enhance entry to high quality schooling.

One of the most important issues raised within the letter was the Federal Government’s excellent monetary commitments to the revitalisation of public universities.

Alausa disclosed that beneath the 2013-2018 Federal Government-ASUU revitalisation dedication of N1.3tn, solely N250bn was reportedly launched between 2013 and 2021.

He additionally revealed that of the extra N150bn accepted in 2025 for Needs Assessment Intervention, solely N50bn was initially launched, leaving a considerable excellent dedication.

“These funding gaps demonstrate the difficulty of meeting existing obligations and raise legitimate concerns about the capacity to sustain additional institutions without corresponding and guaranteed budgetary provisions,” he acknowledged.

The minister additional cited the experiences of Ekiti and Imo states as examples of the monetary and administrative difficulties related to establishing a number of tertiary establishments with out sustainable funding preparations.

He recalled that three state-owned universities in Ekiti State had been consolidated right into a single establishment, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2011.

Similarly, he stated Imo State had undertaken institutional evaluations and integration following the institution of a number of tertiary establishments beneath earlier administrations.

Alausa additionally famous that some state governments had approached the Federal Government to take over their universities due to their incapability to maintain the establishments financially.

According to the memo, such experiences exhibit the risks of building public tertiary establishments with out ample consideration of their long-term funding necessities.

“The institutions established without sustainable funding arrangements may subsequently require costly restructuring, merger or integration by successor administrations,” he warned.

The minister additionally drew consideration to worldwide experiences, citing Australia, Finland, Japan, the United States and South Africa as nations that had undertaken institutional mergers and consolidation to handle monetary constraints, duplication of programmes and administrative inefficiencies.

He stated such reforms had been designed to attain economies of scale, enhance governance, strengthen analysis capability and guarantee extra environment friendly utilisation of public assets.

Alausa argued that Nigeria ought to undertake the same method by prioritising institutional viability and tutorial high quality over the continual enhance within the variety of tertiary establishments.