Senate Approves Creation of 6 Tertiary Institutions

Senate Approves Creation of 6 Tertiary Institutions

The Senate on Wednesday passed six bills seeking to establish federal tertiary institutions in different parts of the country following the consideration of the reports by the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, presented by its Chairman, Senator Barau Jibrin.

The proposed institutions include four polytechnics, one college of education and one university of technology.

When assented to, the polytechnics will be located in Mpu, Enugu State; Kwale, Delta State, Kaltungo, Gombe State; and Adikpo in Benue State.

The bill establishing the City University of Technology said it would be situated at Auchi in Edo State, while the College of Education is to be sited in Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti State.

Jibrin, while making the presentation, said Nigeria was far short of tertiary institutions it needed to meet its educational goals and aspirations.

“In fact, we have not attained 20 per cent of our requirements. So, these institutions need to be established,” he said.

“We are talking about getting our country developed and industrialised, the goals cannot be realised without having federal polytechnics and universities to train our youths to have the necessary manpower to drive the process.”

After the presentation of the reports, the senators dissolved into a Committee of the Whole and considered the bill clause by clause before they were read for the third time and passed.

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, expressed optimism that the institutions, when established, would expand educational opportunities for the nation’s youth.