Amid growing political chatter ahead of the 2027 election cycle, claims that the lawmaker representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency, Hon. Dr. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, abandoned the proposed Federal University of Science and Technology, Remo, have come under closer scrutiny.
An investigation by our correspondent suggests that the narrative may be built on selective interpretation of facts—raising questions about timing, intent, and the broader political undertones behind the claim.
The Remo Federal University Bill (HB 1852) was sponsored by the late Rt. Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga and had already advanced significantly before her passing.
Legislative records show that the bill passed Third Reading in the House of Representatives on May 23, 2023, and subsequently completed all required stages in the National Assembly. It has since been awaiting presidential assent.
Crucially, Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji only assumed office in October 2025, following a bye-election conducted in August of the same year—more than two years after the bill had progressed beyond the House.
This timeline raises a fundamental question:
How does responsibility shift to a lawmaker who was not part of the legislative process at the time the bill advanced?
Further checks reveal that a major policy decision by the Federal Government may hold the key to understanding the current situation.
On August 13, 2025, the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions.
The policy was introduced to curb the rapid expansion of underfunded institutions and to consolidate resources toward improving existing ones.
This development effectively placed new proposals—including the Remo Federal University—within a restricted policy window.
Providing additional clarity, Senate President Godswill Akpabio publicly explained that some recently assented university bills, including the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe , were approved before the moratorium came into force, allowing them to proceed without policy conflict.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, also confirmed that approvals for institutions in Epe, Ogoniland, and parts of Kaduna State had been concluded prior to the policy shift.
Yet, despite these clear distinctions, the recent release of N2 billion each as take-off funds for the Federal University of Science and Technology, Epe and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic in Abuja appears to have been seized upon in some quarters as evidence to support a different narrative.
Analysts say this is where the line between fact and interpretation becomes blurred.
Funding an already approved institution is not the same as approving a new one a policy expert told our correspondent. “But if you ignore that distinction, you can easily create a misleading argument.
The pattern, observers note, suggests a deliberate comparison between pre-moratorium approvals and a post-moratorium proposal—two scenarios that are fundamentally different.
Even more telling, sources within the constituency point to the timing of the claims, which surfaced as political alignments ahead of the next election cycle begin to take shape.
“When facts are taken out of context, especially close to an election season, you have to ask who benefits from the confusion,” a local stakeholder remarked.
At a stakeholders’ meeting held in Sagamu, discussions reportedly emphasized a coordinated approach to engaging the Presidency when the policy environment becomes favourable, indicating that the project remains on the agenda rather than abandoned.
For many observers, the controversy underscores a familiar pattern in political communication—where complex policy realities are simplified into convenient talking points.
“It’s easier to say someone ‘abandoned’ a project than to explain a federal policy constraint,” another analyst noted. “But the truth is often less dramatic and more procedural.”
As the debate continues, one thing appears increasingly clear: the fate of the *Remo Federal University Bill* is tied not to individual withdrawal, but to a broader national policy currently shaping the establishment of new institutions across the country.
Of course, the federal lawmaker, Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji is said to be more committed to seeing it actualized. She is working relentlessly on other bills as well, for the progress of Remo people.
And in the midst of competing narratives, the real story may not be what is being said—but what is being left out.
