Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate
The Senate has directed its committees and the Clerk to immediately suspend the processing of all bills seeking to establish new universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions, enforcing a Federal Government policy aimed at consolidating existing schools.
The directive was announced during plenary by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who urged lawmakers to respect the executive branch’s policy decision and focus legislative efforts on strengthening established institutions before expanding the federal network.
Bamidele advised the Clerk of the Senate to properly guide legislators some of whom may be unaware of the restriction, and urged education committees to stop presenting tertiary establishment bills on the floor.
He noted that lawmakers often face immense peer pressure to support colleagues’ local school establishment bills, making a formal legislative embargo necessary.
Supporting the Senate Leader’s position, Senate President Godswill Akpabio revealed that President Bola Tinubu personally discussed the policy with National Assembly leadership, requesting a five to seven-year moratorium on creating new tertiary institutions.
“Establishing universities is a serious national responsibility and should not be treated with the same simplicity as establishing primary schools.” Akpabio, said.
According to Akpabio, the suspension aims to address several systemic challenges facing higher education:
Consolidation over Expansion: Allowing existing federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to build out infrastructure and achieve full operational capacity.
Paper Institutions: Resolving issues surrounding recently chartered institutions that exist largely on paper without permanent campuses or completed site preparations.
National Reach: Preserving the standard of universities as national institutions designed to serve students nationwide, rather than localized projects.
Geographic Balance: Capitalizing on the Federal Government’s previous efforts to distribute federal tertiary institutions across all regions of the country.
Following the deliberations, Senate President Akpabio formally instructed the Clerk to ensure that no further bills for new tertiary institutions are listed on the Order Paper for consideration.
The Senate subsequently adjourned plenary until November 10 at 11:00 a.m. (NAN)
