President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has refused to approve a bill that proposed the creation of the Federal University of Education, Numan, in Adamawa State. The announcement was made in a letter sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajuddeen. During Tuesday’s plenary session, the letter was read aloud by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
In his letter, President Tinubu noted that his decision was based on several concerns about the bill. One of the key issues was related to land ownership and control. Section 22 of the bill grants the power to manage and transfer land to the state governor instead of the President. Tinubu noted that this goes against existing laws, which require federal institutions, including universities, to be under the authority of the federal government.
Another issue raised by the President was an omission in the bill regarding the institution’s ability to award degrees. He pointed out that Section 25(b) of the bill failed to include a provision for the proposed university to grant degrees, which is a necessary function of higher education institutions.
The bill had been approved by the House of Representatives in 2023 before being sent to the President for final approval.
