The Federal Ministry of Education has issued a clarification regarding the recent approval of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe, Lagos State, assuring the public that its establishment predates the seven-year moratorium on new federal tertiary institutions set by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The ministry provided this explanation via its official X handle on Sunday, directly addressing the apparent contradiction between the new university approvals and the recently announced policy freeze.
Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of the universities in Epe, Kachia, and Ogoniland “through a Presidential Executive Memo prior to the FEC’s decision.”
The ministry further explained the delay in the public announcement concerning the Epe institution. The ministry explained that the announcement of the Epe University came later due to the National Assembly’s 2025 annual recess, which delayed the passage and transmission of the establishment bill to the President.
Despite the necessary clarification regarding the nine new university approvals, the ministry stressed the government’s unwavering commitment to the new policy. “The Federal Government remains fully committed to enforcing the seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal tertiary institutions. The policy remains sacrosanct and binding,” a tweet reiterated.
The moratorium, which freezes the establishment of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, was approved by the FEC following a presentation by Minister Alausa. Alausa had previously highlighted the rationale for the policy, stating: “The challenge in Nigeria’s tertiary education system is no longer access but inefficiency, poor infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and dwindling enrolment in many existing institutions.”
The ministry’s clarification aims to assure Nigerians that the government is upholding the moratorium policy while properly concluding the establishment processes for institutions that received presidential approval before the freeze was put in place.
