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 the current seven-year moratorium on creating new tertiary institutions.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, had earlier approved the establishment of three new federal universities — in Epe (Lagos State), Kachia (Kaduna State), and Ogoniland (Rivers State) — through a Presidential Executive Memo.
Dr. Alausa explained that the formal announcement of the Epe University came later than those of Kachia and Ogoniland because of the National Assembly’s 2025 annual recess, which delayed the passage and transmission of the establishment bill to the President for assent.
The minister reaffirmed that the Federal Government remains fully committed to implementing the seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions, a policy introduced by the FEC to ensure better funding, management, and consolidation of existing universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“The moratorium policy remains sacrosanct and binding. It is aimed at promoting sustainability, quality assurance, and effective resource allocation within the tertiary education system,” Dr. Alausa stated.
The clarification comes amid public debate following the announcement of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, which some commentators had assumed violated the FEC’s directive. The Ministry emphasized that the approval for the institution was duly obtained in compliance with all procedural and policy requirements before the moratorium took effect.
