The management and alumni of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi State, have rejected the proposed legislation being 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 Nigerian Senate, seeks to expand ATBU’s curriculum to include general courses. However, the university authorities and stakeholders said they were not consulted before the bill was drafted.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Bauchi, the Vice-Chancellor of ATBU, Prof. Ibrahim Hassan Garba, emphasised that any amendment to the university’s establishment law must originate from within the institution in the first place.
Represented by the Registrar, Kabiru Garba Aminu, the VC 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 Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC), have also said that they only heard about the bill through media reports and that the entire process was fundamentally flawed, distancing themselves from it.
The Vice-Chancellor further noted that key stakeholders, including staff unions, students, alumni, and the host community, were entirely excluded from the process, saying the university has formally written letters to state its position to the National Assembly, the Minister of Education, NUC and other concerned bodies.
Also, speaking at the briefing, ATBU Alumni national president, Muhammad Sani Wada, highlighted the historical context of the university’s establishment, saying: “ATBU was created by law, following consultations with Bauchi State stakeholders. Any change to its mandate must involve the university.”
He stressed that the bill undermines the institution’s original focus on technology and industrialisation, especially in Northern Nigeria.
The alumni president pointed out the distinction between ATBU and conventional universities, “ATBU awards the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree, which includes a five-year programme with a full year of industrial experience. In contrast, conventional universities award B.Sc. Engineering degrees over four years.
“This additional practical exposure gives ATBU graduates a clear advantage in the workforce,” Mohammed said. He added that changing the university’s mandate would compromise decades of planning, investment, and specialised education, particularly in science and technology.
Both the university management and the alumni association have petitioned the National Assembly to halt the consideration of the bill and ensure that all relevant stakeholders were properly consulted. They reaffirmed their position that ATBU must continue as a specialised University of Technology.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the Senator representing Bauchi South senatorial district, Shehu Buba Umar, sponsored the bill in the Senate. The bill seeks to change the ATBU status from a specialised institution of technology to a conventional one to accommodate more courses or studies.
