The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that the establishment of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, Lagos State, received presidential approval before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) adopted its seven-year moratorium on creating new federal tertiary institutions.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Honourable Minister of Education, Chief (Dr.) Maruf Tunji Alausa (FAMedS), CON, explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, had granted approval for the new university through a Presidential Executive Memo prior to the FEC’s resolution on the moratorium.
Dr. Alausa further stated that the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, Lagos; the Federal University of Science and Technology, Kachia, Kaduna State; and the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Tai and Koroma in Ogoniland, Rivers State, were all approved simultaneously by the President.
He noted that the delayed announcement of the Epe university was due to the National Assembly’s 2025 annual recess, which occurred just before the passage of the establishment bill. The bill was subsequently passed upon the lawmakers’ resumption and later transmitted to the President for assent.
The Minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s full commitment to upholding the seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions, emphasizing that the policy remains in force.
“The Federal Government will not approve any new federal tertiary institutions within the moratorium period,” Dr. Alausa stated.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
