With Nigerian Universities Underfunded, Lawmakers Seek Bill to Establish ‘Bola Tinubu University’

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and eight other members of the House of Representatives have proposed a bill seeking to establish a university in the name of President Bola Tinubu.

The Bill passed its first reading on Thursday and was sponsored by Kalu, who said it would promote learning of Nigerian languages, hence the proposed establishment of a ‘Bola Tinubu University of Nigerian Languages.’

According to the bill, the university would “offer academic and professional programmes leading to the award of diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate research and higher degrees with emphasis on planning, adaptive, developmental and productive skills in the field of Nigerian languages and cultures,” Section II, Part I of the bill reads.

This indicates additional universities to the many universities offering students the opportunity to learn different Nigerian languages, including Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo.

An example of such a institution is the Federal College of Education (Special) in Oyo State, offering Special Education in English, Yoruba, Igbo, Arabic, Hausa, and French language.

Given the proposed university, West Africa Weekly revisited the education chapter of the 80-page 2023 campaign manifesto dubbed “Renewed Hope Agenda,” but nowhere in the manifesto was building a language-learning university mentioned. A redefined version of the manifesto did not state such either.

However, similar to former President Muhammadu Buhari who approved the ‘Muhammadu Buhari University of Transportation’, the proposed Bola Tinubu University of Nigerian Languages adds to the numerous tertiary institutions in the country, many of which are underfunded leading to strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Read More:

• Human Rights Lawyer Inibehe Effiong Criticises Proposed Bola Tinubu University Bill, Calls It Sycophancy
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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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