Reps to prioritise varsity autonomy – Speaker Abbas

Speaker of House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has promised that the 10th House will prioritise university autonomy for better performance.

Abbas stated this during the public hearing on five bills seeking to establish Federal University of Solid Mineral Development Michika, Adamawa, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The speaker, represented by Rep. Esosa Iyawe, member representing Oredo Federal Constituency in Edo, said that the bills were also considering establishment of four other universities across the country.

“The House will prioritise university autonomy as seen in other parts of the world to ensure that standards are elevated,” he said.

Abbas said that the lawmakers were not oblivious of the reservations by many Nigerians about establishing new universities, particularly because some of the existing ones were underperforming and did not meet global academic standards.

He, however, noted that the legislators must also respond to the growing population, which had resulted in thousands of qualified young Nigerians being unable to gain university admission.

This, the speaker said, had become an issue as universities often reached their admission quotas, thus highlighting the urgent demand for higher education which had continued to increase alongside the population.

“Establishing new universities is part of our response to that growing demand and the need to expand opportunities for young Nigerians.

“However, we recognize that this expansion must go hand-in-hand with the revival and strengthening of our current universities to improve quality and performance.

“To this end, we know that the National Universities Commission is actively working on reforms,” he said.

In his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on University Education, Rep. Abubakar Fulata, said the public hearing, organised by his committee, was aimed at providing a unique opportunity for stakeholders.

This, according to him, is to contribute by bringing their expertise and professionalism to bear in further shaping the provisions and features of the bills.

“In doing so, attention will focus on examining the feasibility or otherwise of these universities, assess their potential impacts on access to quality education and identify opportunities for collaboration and resource optimization,” Fulata said.