The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commended the federal government for placing a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new public universities in Nigeria.

ASUU president, Christopher Piwuna, gave the commendation during a press conference on Thursday in Jos, describing the move as long overdue.

He said the decision would help address the proliferation of universities and allow for better funding and development of existing institutions.

“While commending the federal government, this is a matter ASUU has long advocated.

“For over a decade, we’ve raised concerns about the establishment of mushroom universities with no development plans,” Mr Piwuna said.

He lamented that ASUU’s previous appeals to halt the expansion had gone unheeded until now.

“We’ve watched universities become tools of political patronage. The moratorium is not only welcome but necessary,” he added.

Mr Piwuna stated that Nigeria currently has 339 universities — 72 federal, 108 state, and 159 privately owned.

“On average, each state and the FCT have about nine universities. This number is outrageous,” he said, noting that more than 30 universities reportedly had zero admission subscriptions.

He warned that spreading limited resources across too many institutions was inefficient and detrimental to education quality.

ASUU also called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to reconsider the recent approval of nine new private universities, arguing that unchecked expansion, public or private, undermined the system’s sustainability.

(NAN)