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.
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“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.
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“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”.
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“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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