The federal government states that it will impose severe sanctions on any federal university that establishes a satellite campus without the prior approval of education minister Tunji Alausa.
The minister disclosed this in a memo sent to the National Universities Commission on May 30, 2025, sighted on Wednesday.
According to Mr Alausa, the decision is based on the government’s determination to restore the quality and integrity of tertiary education in the country.
He, therefore, directed the NUC, through the memo, to inform all federal universities that no satellite campuses should be established without the prior approval of the ministry, as conveyed through the Executive Secretary of the commission.
He said 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. Many of these campuses are created without clear strategic, academic or infrastructural justifications.
”It is also pertinent to note that instead of investing in and expanding the capacity of existing main campuses, some vice-chancellors are opting for the creation of new ones, which in most cases are often inadequately resourced.
“This practice undermines the integrity, quality and sustainability of tertiary education in Nigeria,” the minister said.
Several such satellite campuses have been established in the country, infringing on previous regulations and violating the approved guidelines for their creation, as set out by the NUC.
NUC had earlier warned that such campuses have been banned in the country.
NUC had also, in the past, set up a committee that advised on the closure of such illegal universities and campuses as the commission mandated it to identify, locate, and prosecute.
In 2021, the committee was reconstituted, with the NUC then describing it as a huge success.
