Nigeria’s National Universities Commission, NUC, has come under criticism over what many have described as a “bazaar” of university approvals, following the licensing of at least 50 new institutions, both public and private, between 2023 and 2025.
NUC, in its latest move, granted provisional licenses to 11 new private universities on April 30, 2025, pushing the total number of universities in the country to 295.
The decision marks the third wave of such approvals under two years, reflecting the Federal Government’s continued push to widen access to higher education through private sector participation.