A bill seeking to convert the Yaba College of Technology
(YabaTech) into a university has passed its second reading at the senate.
The Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational
Studies (Establishment) Bill is sponsored by Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate
leader.
Leading the debate during Tuesday’s plenary, Bamidele said
the new university would encourage the advancement of learning and give
Nigerians the opportunity to acquire higher education.
“It will provide courses of instruction and other facilities
for the pursuit of learning in all branches and make those facilities available
on proper terms to such persons as are equipped to benefit from them,” he said.
“It will encourage and promote scholarship and conduct
research in all fields of learning with emphasis on technical education. It
will also relate its activities to the social, cultural and economic needs of
the people of Nigeria.”
Bamidele said the university will inherit all existing
structures, properties and staff of YabaTech and continue to function as an
institution dedicated to technical and vocational excellence.
“The institution is prepared to remain true to its core
mandate of producing well-trained manpower capable of driving the
technological, management and business goals of the nation,” he said.
“In this regard, it will seek to emulate the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.”
He noted that the transformation would not carry any
financial implications as the operational structures already exist and the
university will continue under the current budgetary provisions of YabaTech.
“The provisions in this bill are adequate to ensure the
takeoff of the proposed university and I urge my colleagues to support it at
all stages of its journey to becoming a law of the federation of Nigeria,” he
said.
Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, who presided over the
session, said the institution deserved an upgrade given its “track record”.
“YabaTech deserves to be transformed into a university. It’s
an institution that’s well known for what it has been doing to develop our
educational system in this country, particularly technical education,” he said.
“So transforming it to a university will be an addition to
our tertiary education system, particularly in engineering and related fields.”
Barau referred the bill to the senate committee on tertiary
institutions and TETFUND for further legislative work.
On February 14, Tunji Alausa, minister of state for
education, announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved its conversion to
a university.
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