President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined approval for the bill seeking to establish the Federal University of Education in Numan, Adamawa State.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajuddeen, and read by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu during Tuesday’s plenary session, Tinubu outlined his reasons for withholding assent.
A key concern was Section 22 of the bill, which grants the state governor authority over land disposal instead of the President, contradicting legal provisions governing federal institutions.
Additionally, Tinubu noted a legislative oversight in Section 25(b), where the bill failed to explicitly state the institution’s authority to award degrees.
The House had passed the bill last year and submitted it for presidential approval, but these concerns suggest that revisions will be necessary before reconsideration.
In his letter, Tinubu stated:
“Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I hereby convey to the House of Representatives my decision, taken on December 23, 2024, to decline presidential assent to the Federal University of Education, Numan Establishment Bill 2024 recently passed by the National Assembly.
“I am declining assent to the bill as Section 22 grants authority over university land disposal to the governor instead of the President, which is inconsistent with regulations governing federal institutions.”
However, speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Senator Binos Yaroe clarified that Tinubu had not outrightly rejected the bill but had only identified clerical errors that need correction.
“The President pointed out certain errors that must align with constitutional provisions. For example, we mistakenly assigned land disposal authority to the governor instead of the President, who is the rightful visitor of the institution. We will correct this by replacing ‘governor’ with ‘President’ in the bill,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives adjourned plenary until Wednesday, February 5, 2025, in honor of the late Deputy Whip, Adewunmi Onanuga, who passed away on January 15 at the age of 59.
Onanuga, who represented Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency in Ogun State, previously served as Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs in the 9th Assembly.