ATBU, Alumni Reject Buba’s Bill On Varsity Conversion

The management and alumni of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, have rejected the proposed bill sponsored by Senator Shehu Buba Umar to change the university from a specialised institution of technology to a conventional university.

The bill, currently at the public hearing stage in the senate, seeks to expand ATBU’s curriculum to include general courses. However, university authorities and stakeholders said they were not consulted before the bill was introduced.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, the Vice-Chancellor of ATBU, Prof. Ibrahim Hassan Garba, said any amendment to the university’s law must originate from within the institution in the first place.

Represented by the registrar, Kabiru Garba, Aminu stated, “The university has not been contacted at any stage. Any process aimed at amending our law must involve our established organs, the Governing Council and the University Senate. These bodies are responsible for overall policy direction and academic oversight, respectively, and both must agree on any amendment.”

Prof. Garba added that other critical supervising bodies, including the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission, have also not been consulted, adding that they only heard about the bill through media reports and the entire process is fundamentally flawed, and they do not accept it.

The vice-chancellor further noted that key stakeholders, including staff unions, students, alumni, and the host community, were entirely excluded from the process. The university has formally written its position in letters to the National Assembly, the Minister of Education, and the NUC and other concerned bodies.

ATBU national alumni president, Muhammad Sani Wada, said the bill undermines the institution’s original focus on technology and industrialisation, especially in Northern Nigeria.