The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that the establishment of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, Lagos State, was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, 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 the approval came through a Presidential Executive Memo prior to the FEC’s decision. He said, “President Tinubu had given his approval for the establishment of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, before the Federal Executive Council’s moratorium was adopted.”
Dr. Alausa added 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 Ogoni Land, Rivers State, were all approved simultaneously by the President.
According to the Minister, the announcement of the Epe University came later because the Senate had gone on its 2025 annual recess before passing the establishment bill. The bill was passed upon resumption, which caused a delay in its formal transmission to the President.
He reaffirmed that the Federal Government remains committed to enforcing the seven-year moratorium, describing it as “sacrosanct and binding.”
