Amid Pending Strike in Federal Tertiary Institutions, Senate Passes Bill to Establish Three Federal Institutions

The Nigerian Senate has passed a bill establishing three federal institutions in Edo, Delta, and Imo states.

The bills were passed during Tuesday’s plenary session, presided over by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, after they all successfully scaled third reading.

The institutions are the Federal University of Education, Auchi, Edo State (HB. 222), the Federal College of Nursing and Midwifery, Otu-Jeremi, Delta State (HB. 221), and the Federal College of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Sciences, Isiala Mbano, Imo State (HB. 223).

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has inaugurated a seven-member Re-negotiation Committee to address lingering issues tied to the 2009 Agreements with university-based unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The committee’s task is to produce a realistic and workable agreement to address the challenges plaguing the Nigerian university system, according to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.

This committee’s inauguration is coming after the two-week ultimatum given to the government to meet its demands expired today.

In an interview last week, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke the ASUU President lamented that the negotiation committee would mark the fourth effort since 2017, with previous committees led by Wale Babalakin in 2017,  Munzali Jubril in 2020, and Nimi Briggs in 2022.

In a related development, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Zone C, which covers the South-West region and Kwara State, has expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s silence following its 15-day strike ultimatum, issued on October 7.

The union is demanding urgent attention to several issues affecting polytechnic education in Nigeria, including the National Board for Technical Education’s alleged interference in student admissions.

ASUP’s Coordinator for Zone C, Comrade Adekunle Masopa, criticised what he described as undue oversight by the technical board and urged union members to prepare for possible industrial action if the government fails to meet their demands by the expiration of the ultimatum.

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