The Federal Government has warned that strict sanctions will be imposed on any federal university found establishing satellite campuses without the prior approval of the Minister of Education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, issued the warning in a memo addressed to the National Universities Commission (NUC) on 30 May 2025,
Dr Alausa explained that the decision reflects the government’s commitment to restoring the quality and integrity of tertiary education in Nigeria.
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He therefore instructed the NUC to notify all federal universities that no satellite campus should be established without prior approval from the ministry, channelled through the Executive Secretary of the commission.
He added that failure to comply would result in sanctions.
“There has been a noticeable and concerning trend of federal universities establishing satellite campuses across the country,” he stated.
“Many of these campuses are created without clear strategic, academic or infrastructural justification.
“It is also worrying that, instead of investing in and expanding the capacity of their main campuses, some Vice-Chancellors are opting to create new ones which are often inadequately resourced.
“This practice undermines the integrity, quality and sustainability of tertiary education in Nigeria.”
It will be recalled that several such campuses have been established in violation of existing regulations and NUC-approved guidelines.
The NUC had previously issued a warning that such satellite campuses are prohibited in the country.
In earlier efforts to curb the trend, the commission constituted a committee tasked with identifying, locating, and prosecuting illegal universities and campuses.
The committee was reconstituted in 2021, achieving what the NUC described at the time as significant progress.
