Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has issued a warning to the Federal Government to halt the mass approval of licenses for new universities across the country, stating that the trend, if not stopped, could undermine Nigeria’s future.
Babalola gave the warning during a High Impact Research and Journal Advancement Workshop organised by the institution in Ado-Ekiti.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria expressed concern that many newly licensed institutions lacked the necessary infrastructure and facilities to deliver quality education, warning that a “quantity-over-quality” approach was dangerous.
“Approving establishment of universities without consideration for quality and infrastructure could adversely affect the country in the future, if not stopped immediately,” he said.
Referencing the era of Prof. Peter Okebukola as the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Babalola said the process was previously more rigorous and credible.
“Not only was the visitation and accreditation process rigorous, it was also impossible for anyone to obtain approval to commence degree programmes, especially in Medicine, Engineering, and Law, especially in the first few years of establishing a university.
“But what do we have today? Mass approval of mushroom and substandard universities, with some lacking even the basic learning facilities and infrastructure,” he noted
NUC quality control compromised
Babalola lamented that the current licensing system had weakened the NUC’s regulatory capacity, putting the integrity of Nigeria’s university system at risk.
“As a result of this anything goes syndrome, approach to university licensing and accreditation, NUC’s ability to ensure quality control, and to stamp out substandard institutions, have been seriously compromised,” he noted.
He disclosed that Nigeria currently has more than 270 universities, with about 200 new proposals pending before the National Assembly.
“The focus now seems to be on quantity, not quality, licensing more universities, without adequate plans for monitoring their standards.
“The end result is a rapid decline and rot of our educational system, and in the quality of our graduates.
“What we need is quality education, because poor education is worse than illiteracy,” he emphasized.
Quality research
Babalola stressed that Nigeria’s quest for national development through research cannot be achieved without addressing the proliferation of substandard universities.
“If we are really serious about accelerating national development, through research, the starting point will be that the process of approval for university licenses should be thorough,” he noted.
What you should know
The federal government has taken steps to expand Nigeria’s higher education sector by approving the establishment of several new universities, both federal and private, as part of a broader plan to enhance educational access and promote national development.
- Early this year, President Tinubu signed bills into law establishing two new federal universities: the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies in Iragbiji, Osun State, and the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences in Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State, to promote agricultural innovation, technology-driven education, and sustainable environmental practices.
- Tinubu also approved the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoni, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State in February 2025.
- Further expanding access, the Federal Executive Council under Tinubu granted provisional licenses to 11 new private universities across different states in March 2025. These institutions were expected to increase the options available for tertiary education in Nigeria and help bridge the gap between demand and capacity in the higher education system.
However, following the surge in private university approvals, the Federal Government announced a one-year moratorium on the registration of new private universities to give the National Universities Commission (NUC) time to review and strengthen regulatory guidelines. The moratorium aims to ensure that new universities meet the required academic standards, infrastructure needs, and capacity benchmarks before being granted licenses to operate.
