Nigeria’s Upper Chamber has approved the establishment of six new federal tertiary institutions across the country.
The bills to establish the new schools were passed by the Senate 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.
The six new federal tertiary institutions are:
- Federal Polytechnic, Mpu, Enugu State
- Federal Polytechnic, Kwale, Delta State
- Federal Polytechnic, Kaltungo, Gombe State
- Federal Polytechnic, Adikpo, Benue State.
- Federal College of Education, Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti State
- City University of Technology, Auchi, Edo 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.
“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, commended Barau and other members of the committee for their hardwork towards bringing the bills to a final legislative conclusion.
Ekweremadu expressed optimism that the institutions, when established, would expand educational opportunities for the nation’s youth who were eager to receive higher education.
He said, “I pray that the government takes steps to ensure these schools are established as soon as possible, and the necessary infrastructure provided for their early take-off.”
The approval of the new school is coming at a time, lecturers in government universities are on strike. One of their demands is that government-owned schools are under funded.
While there are millions of Nigerian graduates on the streets without job.
