The Senate has handed a invoice in quest of to supply a criminal framework for the Federal College of Generation, Ikot Abasi (FUTIA), Akwa Ibom State, 5 years after it used to be established.
The invoice, subsidized through Ekong Sampson, senator representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, used to be handed on Thursday after attention of its provisions.
Samuel Udoma, Mr Sampson’s media aide, introduced the improvement in a Fb post on Thursday, describing the law as a vital step in opposition to securing the college’s criminal standing.
The college’s Vice-Chancellor, Leo Daniel, welcomed the passage, describing it as “the most efficient present of the yr” from the Nationwide Meeting to the establishment.
The improvement comes as FUTIA expands its educational choices, having not too long ago secured approval from the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC) to start 12 further level programmes from the 2026/2027 educational consultation.
Why FUTIA wishes an Act of Parliament
FUTIA used to be a few of the federal tertiary establishments accredited through former President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021. Alternatively, the college used to be established with out an Act of Parliament.
Mr Sampson subsidized the invoice to handle the space and give you the establishment with criminal backing for its management and operations.
In step with the college, the law will enhance its institutional basis and reinforce its mandate to advance technology-driven schooling, analysis, innovation and sustainable construction.
The invoice’s passage adopted legislative attention on the Nationwide Meeting, together with a public listening to at which stakeholders submitted memoranda in reinforce of the proposed law.
Akpabio highlights college’s international significance
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over Thursday’s plenary, emphasized the establishment’s possible contribution past Nigeria.
Mr Akpabio stated the college would serve “the worldwide group, now not simply Nigerians,” whilst commending the tenth Senate for its dedication to education-focused law.
Previous, Muntari Dandutse, chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Establishments and TETFund, introduced the committee’s record at the invoice.
Mr Dandutse stated the established order of FUTIA and different tertiary establishments would deepen Nigerians’ get admission to to technology-based upper schooling.
Following clause-by-clause attention, the Senate learn the invoice for the 3rd time and handed it.
The chamber additionally handed expenses setting up the Federal College of Well being Sciences, Funtua, Katsina State, and the Federal College of Generation, Babura, Jigawa State.
NUC approves 12 further level programmes
In a separate construction, the NUC accredited 12 further level programmes at FUTIA following a a hit useful resource verification seek advice from to the college.
A observation posted on Fb and signed through the college registrar, Offiongita Nkang, stated the approval used to be conveyed in an NUC letter dated 11 September 2026.
The newly accredited programmes come with biomedical engineering, pc engineering, fabrics and metallurgical engineering, mechatronics engineering, chemistry, business chemistry, environmental control expertise, biotechnology, environmental well being science, well being knowledge control, group well being science and property control.
The approval brings the selection of NUC-approved programmes on the college to 36, in step with the establishment.
The college commenced its pioneer educational consultation in 2023/2024.
The vice-chancellor stated the growth mirrored the establishment’s dedication to widening get admission to to raised schooling and strengthening educating, analysis, manpower construction and group carrier.
Mr Daniel, described through the college as Nigeria’s first professor of aeronautics and astronautics, pledged that FUTIA would proceed to introduce programmes aligned with provide and long run instructional wishes.
He thanked the control group, educational board, governing council and different stakeholders for supporting the establishment’s construction.
The college steered applicants who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam and want to find out about the newly accredited lessons to switch their path possible choices in the course of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Central Admissions Processing Device.
Applicants who didn’t to begin with choose FUTIA as their first-choice establishment however scored no less than 160 too can follow through converting their first-choice establishment to the college.
Sampson’s schooling time table
Mr Sampson has additionally subsidized a invoice in quest of to ascertain the Federal College of Clinical Sciences in Eket, which stays earlier than the Senate.
He has advocated the total college standing of the College of Maritime Research, Oron, as a part of efforts to enhance tertiary schooling around the 3 federal constituencies in Akwa Ibom South.
FUTIA’s established order in 2021 generated controversy over its location, leading to exchanges between Ita Enang, then a presidential aide, and the management of former Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the war of words in August 2021. Mr Enang is now Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany.
With the Senate’s passage of the invoice, the legislative procedure on the Nationwide Meeting has been concluded. The invoice is predicted to be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
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