Bill To Make ATBU Conventional University Scales Second Reading

The Senate has passed a Bill for an Act to amend the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Act for 2nd reading.

The measure removes the restrictive word “Technology” from the university’s sanction and status, thereby converting it from a specialised University of exertion to a accepted university.

As stated successful the bill, the intent is to empower the citadel of learning to connection a afloat scope of world disciplines successful the sciences, humanities, law, and aesculapian fields.

In his pb statement connected the bill’s wide principles, Senator Shehu Umar (Bauchi South) said that Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, was established successful 1980 arsenic 1 of the pioneer Universities of Technology to beforehand method and engineering education.

According to him, however, the assemblage has evolved and diversified its world portfolio implicit the decades, moving grade programmes successful Agriculture, Education, Management Sciences, and Environmental Design, among others. However, its enabling instrumentality inactive restricts it to the constrictive ineligible presumption of a “University of Technology”, creating inconsistencies betwixt the instrumentality and the institution’s world practice.

He said: “The objects of this amendment are to:- Make it a accepted university; empower the assemblage to connection courses and behaviour probe successful each world disciplines; guarantee equity and parity with different national universities operating nether akin conditions; heighten collaboration, accreditation, and planetary designation for the institution; and grow entree to higher acquisition successful the North-East portion and Nigeria astatine large.

“You whitethorn privation to cognize that akin amendments person been carried retired successful the pursuing universities: Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, which was renamed Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University.

“These precedents show that specified transformations are some lawful and progressive.

“This Bill is not a extremist innovation but a indispensable rationalisation. It brings the instrumentality successful enactment with reality. This instauration has already evolved beyond its specialised roots and present deserves the ineligible state to turn arsenic a full-fledged, broad university.

“It honours the bequest of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s archetypal Prime Minister, whose sanction the assemblage bears, and whose imaginativeness of inclusive acquisition and nationalist improvement remains timeless.

“The Bill seeks to resoluteness that contradiction by formally redesignating the instauration arsenic a accepted university, aligning its nomenclature, governance, and mandate with its existent operations and aboriginal aspirations”.

After an exhaustive debate, the Senate passed it for a 2nd reading. It mandated that its committee connected Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND clasp a nationalist proceeding and study backmost wrong 4 weeks.