By Caroline Ameh
Former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, on Friday threw his weight behind a move by the Senate to convert the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, from a specialised university of technology into a conventional university.
Yuguda expressed his support at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, alongside other stakeholders from Bauchi State. The hearing was convened to receive inputs on a proposed bill seeking to amend the university’s enabling Act.
The committee, chaired by Senator Muntari Dandutse (Katsina South), said the public hearing was aimed at ensuring that the proposed legislation reflected the views and needs of key stakeholders in the education sector.
In his submission, Yuguda argued that opposition to the conversion was unfair to the people of Bauchi State and neighbouring communities, given the limited range of courses currently offered by the university.
“Any person that is against running the university as a conventional university is not being fair,” he said. “I knew what I suffered to get ATBU to run medicine. Today we have over 100 medical doctors. And today you are sitting here and say it should not be run as a conventional university?”
Yuguda, an economist and accountant by training, said the absence of key programmes such as economics at ATBU justified the push for conversion.
“If economics is not run in ATBU, why can’t I fight for them to have economics? There are so many science, arts and social science subjects that are not being run but are needed,” he added.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ATBU branch, opposed the proposed amendment. The branch chairman, Haruna Angulu, said the union’s position was clearly stated in its memorandum submitted to the committee.
“Our position is very clear. In an era where the world is going technological, what is expected is additional funding to make the existing specialised university of technology effective, rather than making it conventional,” Angulu said.
He noted that ATBU is the only university of technology in the North-East, warning that converting it could undermine technological development in the region.
Earlier in his keynote address, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said it was the responsibility of lawmakers to ensure that all legislation affecting national institutions was thoroughly examined and enriched by expert input.
Akpabio described ATBU as an important centre of excellence in science, technology, research and innovation, but noted that the institution had evolved beyond the framework envisaged when its enabling Act was first enacted.
“I urge all stakeholders present—academics, administrators, regulators, students, civil society groups and development partners—to engage constructively,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Senator Dandutse said the hearing was designed to draw from the collective wisdom of relevant institutions and individuals.
According to him, while ATBU has grown significantly in structure, programmes and responsibilities over the years, some provisions of its existing Act have become inadequate in addressing current realities.
“The amendment bill seeks to update and strengthen the institutional governance framework and clarify the roles and responsibilities of key officers of the university,” he said.
He added that the Senate’s proposal to broaden ATBU’s academic offerings to include arts, social sciences and humanities had generated intense debate among academics, students, policymakers and industry experts.
