By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA — The Federal Government has approved the establishment of nine new private universities, a move aimed at expanding access to higher education and addressing a long-standing backlog of applications. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the approval on Wednesday following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa.
The newly licensed institutions are:
- 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
- American Open University, Ogun State
According to Dr. Alausa, the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited 551 pending applications for new tertiary institutions. Following a stricter review process, the number was narrowed down to 79 active applications, with nine finally receiving approval after a years-long delay.
The Minister attributed the backlog to “inefficiencies within the NUC” and noted that a temporary moratorium has been placed on new applications to streamline the process.
The approval is expected to ease the pressure on public universities and provide more academic opportunities for students across the country.