The short-lived administration of General Muritala Mohammed established the most universities in a year of any military administration. In 1975, a federal university was established in Calabar, Ilorin, Jos, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, and Sokoto.
The Goodluck Jonathan-led administration moved to ensure a federal university in every state without one, creating 12 universities in three years—a move criticised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The creation of specialised universities marked the 2015-2023 Muhammadu Buhari administration through the upgrade of colleges of education and the establishment of health sciences and agricultural universities.
