Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Monday, that Nigeria must invest more in human capital development amid its growing population, currently around 227.9 million.
He spoke at the National Assembly in Abuja when the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, chaired by Senator Muntari Dandutse, held a public hearing on six bills to establish tertiary institutions.
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The bills were Federal University of Education (Special), Oyo (Establishment) Bill, 2024: Federal University of Health Sciences, Funtua, Katsina State (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State (Establishment) Bill, 2024; Federal University of Geomatics, Oyo, Oyo State (Establishment) Bill, 2025; Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Yaba, Lagos State (Establishment) Bill, 2025; and Federal University of Technology, Omoku, Rivers State (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The Senate President was represented at the session by his Deputy, Senator Barau Jibrin.
He noted, Our population continues to grow, and so must our investments in human capital, adding that the universities of technology, health sciences, education, and vocational studies were vital in preparing a workforce capable of driving innovations in the country as well as transforming its economic fortunes.
The inclusion of specialised institutions like the proposed University of Education (Special), Oyo, and the University of Geomatics highlights our intention to cater to specific educational and developmental needs.
According to him, the task before the Senate is to ensure that these institutions, once established, are not only sustainable but also adequately funded to meet the dynamic needs of the 21st-century student.
Speaking specifically on the Federal University of Health Sciences, Funtua, Katsina State (Establishment) Bill, 2024, which he sponsored, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dandute observed that conventional or mainstream medical practice was gradually being phased out, leveraging on the advancement in science and technology opportunities of the modern world.
He added, And also, the advent of Artificial Intelligence and the use of robotics are predominantly being deployed to handle sophisticated medical practices and procedures limiting the chances of medical practitioners.
This will invariably give rise to job losses in the near future.
Muntari called for urgent steps to be taken for Nigeria to align with this current global phenomenon of technological advancement.
Also speaking, Senator Yunus Akintunde, who sponsored the Federal University of Education (Special), Oyo Establishment Bill 2024 and Federal University of Geomatics, Oyo Establishment Bill 2024, explained that the two universities were not new but were being upgraded.
He said the Federal University of Education (Special), Oyo, would provide a just, sound, and robust educational system for all Nigerians, including those living with disabilities.
It is predicated on the availability of qualified and well-trained teachers to impart the required knowledge to the students.
Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo is the only one of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
Thus, the need to have a university in our educational sector that can cater to people with disabilities and continuously produce well-qualified and trained teachers as it is obtainable in other developed countries cannot be overemphasised, he said.
