Senate halts processing of bills for new universities

By Henry Umoru ABUJA — The Senate has directed its committees to suspend the processing of bills seeking the establishment of new universities and other tertiary institutions in line with the Federal Government’s policy. The directive, which particularly affects the Committees on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is aimed at ensuring that existing institutions are adequately developed and strengthened before new ones are established.

Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), announced the directive on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to respect the government’s position on the matter. Bamidele said the policy was necessary to allow existing universities and other tertiary institutions to consolidate their operations and improve infrastructure before additional institutions were considered.

He urged the Clerk of the Senate, Dr Emmanuel Odo, to guide lawmakers on the policy, noting that some legislators might not be aware of the Federal Government’s position. The Senate Leader also advised education committees to avoid presenting bills seeking the establishment of new institutions for consideration during plenary. He acknowledged that lawmakers sometimes found it difficult to turn down requests from colleagues seeking legislative support for the establishment of universities and other tertiary institutions.

Supporting the directive, Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had discussed the matter with the leadership of the National Assembly. Akpabio said the President was opposed to establishing new universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions for the next five to seven years. He explained that the proposed moratorium was intended to give existing institutions time to develop their infrastructure and commence effective academic operations.

The Senate President observed that several recently established universities existed largely on paper, with some yet to secure permanent sites or complete the necessary site-clearance processes. He stressed that establishing a university was a serious national responsibility that should not be treated with the same simplicity as setting up primary schools.

According to him, universities are national institutions expected to admit students from different parts of the country, irrespective of their geographical locations. Akpabio added that the Federal Government had made efforts to ensure an equitable distribution of universities across the country, making it necessary to consolidate existing investments rather than continue establishing new institutions.

He consequently directed the Clerk of the Senate to ensure that bills seeking the establishment of new tertiary institutions were no longer listed for consideration. The Senate subsequently adjourned plenary until Tuesday next week.