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JUST IN: FG opposes N/Assembly’s proposals for 200 new varsities
The federal government has expressed opposition to the proposals by the National Assembly for creation of nearly 200 new universities in the country.
It said with almost 200 bills in the National Assembly for establishment of new universities, there is a growing concern that the system is becoming overwhelmed.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated this in Abuja yesterday during the third edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing.
The country currently has 278 universities, 64 of which are federal; 67, state; and 147, private.
The government had, last month, announced a one-year moratorium on the establishment of new private universities “to enhance the quality and sustainability of private universities, ensuring that only institutions with the necessary financial and academic capacity are granted licenses.”
The minister yesterday emphasised that strengthening the capacities of the existing universities is more important than establishing new ones.
He said: “They (lawmakers) are passing a lot of bills. Today, I can tell you that there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue like this.
Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there. What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens.
“We need to stop this (the 200 bills for new universities) from happening. There is so much pressure on the president. We have to, at least, be sensitive to it as well.
“I understand the sentiment of our legislators. They want to show that they are working. We know they are working. But then, we have enough assets, we have enough opportunities out there for students to go to universities.
“What we now need to do is to begin to mobilise more resources to develop infrastructures, build engineering workshops, build laboratories in these universities, recruit international standard teachers, so that we can begin to get these universities to develop, to deliver high quality of education that will be known for as a country.
“Today, if you care to know, we have 64 federal universities, 67 state universities and 147 private universities.
If you look at the entire enrolment together, the private universities account for just 7.5% of total undergraduate enrolment.
I will tell you the meaning of the number. The total number of undergraduate enrolments today is just about 875,000, which is, at least, fairly low.
“We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there is this intense demand for more universities to be opened. We have to stop that.”
however, it is not only the legislators that are obsessed with pushing for the establishing of universities as constituency project or for status symbol.
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536 blind candidates participate in 2026 UTME
Other categories, including candidates with down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia, also recorded notable admission rates, with dyslexia candidates achieving a 100 percent success rate.
More than 536 blind candidates and others with special needs participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across 11 designated centres nationwide, under arrangements tailored to their needs.
Chairman of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, disclosed this in a statement, in Abuja, yesterday.
He disclosed that Kano State recorded the highest number with 136 candidates, followed by Lagos with 95, while Abuja hosts 46 candidates.
Others were from Ado-Ekiti, Bauchi, Benin, Enugu, Kebbi, Oyo, Jos and Yola, each supervised by experienced academics, many of whom are former vice-chancellors.
He noted growing interest among candidates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, describing it as a positive shift and also acknowledged the ongoing challenges faced by blind students in pursuing science-related disciplines, and disclosed that efforts have been underway since 2018 to address these barriers.
Prof Okebukola expressed satisfaction with the improving admission outcomes for candidates with disabilities, noting that in the 2025 admission cycle, 483 candidates applied for tertiary education out of which 252 secured admission, representing a 52.2 percent success rate.
He disclosed that candidates with visual impairment formed the largest group, accounting for 429 applications, with over half successfully admitted.
Other categories, including candidates with down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia, also recorded notable admission rates, with dyslexia candidates achieving a 100 percent success rate.
(The Sun)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the appointment of Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu as the new Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), for an initial term of four (4) years, effective from April 16, 2026 in accordance with the provision of Section 5 of the National Biosafety Management Agency, 2015.
Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu is a Public Health professional and policy strategist with a proven track record of driving impactful national programs.
The President tasks the appointee to contribute her expertise to the agency for the good of the nation.
Developing story.
News
JAMB releases Thursday’s UTME results
In a statement issued by the Board on Friday, and signed by its spokesperson Fabian Benjamin, candidates were advised to check their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the results of candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Thursday, April 16, 2026, with a total of 632,788 results now available for viewing.
In a statement issued by the Board on Friday, and signed by its spokesperson Fabian Benjamin, candidates were advised to check their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration.
JAMB clarified that at this stage, candidates can only view their results, as printing options are not yet available.
It also issued a strong warning against attempts to manipulate or alter result messages received from official channels, stressing that such actions constitute a criminal offence.
The Board added that it is already taking action against offenders, revealing that some suspects are currently in custody.
“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means. Any candidate found culpable will face the full consequences of the law,” it stated.
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