By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Federal University of Science and Technology in Epe, Lagos State, despite the federal government’s earlier decision to pause the establishment of new tertiary institutions for seven years.
The news was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary. He told lawmakers that President Tinubu had signed the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe (Establishment) Bill 2025 into law.
“It is my honour to announce that the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe establishment bill 2025 has been assented to by Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Akpabio said.
He explained that the Senate had sent the authenticated copies of the bill to the President, and Tinubu returned two signed versions after giving his approval.
“Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe establishment has come to stay,” Akpabio said as he congratulated the people of Epe and Lagos State.
He also praised President Tinubu for “opening the doors of education nationwide”, saying the move shows the administration’s commitment to increasing opportunities for specialised learning.
The sponsor of the bill, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, said the new university is expected to focus on top-level science and technology fields such as Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Civil Engineering, as well as Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. He said these disciplines are crucial to driving Nigeria’s digital economy.
However, the approval of the university comes only a few months after the Federal Executive Council, led by the President, introduced a seven-year freeze on setting up new federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
At the time, Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa said the pause was necessary to address the poor infrastructure, low student numbers and declining standards seen in many existing institutions.
“Several federal universities operate far below capacity, with some having fewer than 2,000 students,” he said.
“If we want to improve quality and not be a laughing stock globally, the pragmatic step is to pause the establishment of new federal institutions.”
He added that although the freeze applied to both public and private institutions, nine private universities were still approved because they met the National Universities Commission’s strict conditions.
Dr Alausa described the freeze as a “reset button” for Nigeria’s education sector and said the President remains committed to ensuring quality schooling.
“Mr President believes fervently in education and has given us the mandate to ensure every Nigerian has access to the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world.”