President Bola Tinubu has refused to permit the establishment of a Federal University of Education, Numan, in Adamawa State.
This followed his decision to withhold assent to a bill titled “the Federal University of Education Numan, Adamawa State (Establishment) Bill, 2024.”
The President’s decision was conveyed in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives and read on the floor of the chamber on Tuesday by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The bill sought to establish the Federal University of Education in Numan, Adamawa State, but Tinubu’s refusal means it will not become law unless the National Assembly takes further legislative action.
In 2024, the National Assembly passed a bill sponsored by Senator Binos Yaroe, representing Adamawa South Senatorial District, which was subsequently transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
However, in his response, President Tinubu raised concerns over Section 22 of the bill, which grants the Adamawa State Governor the authority to dispose of land belonging to a federal institution. The President emphasized that matters concerning Federal Government-owned properties, particularly federal universities, fall under his jurisdiction.
Tinubu referenced Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to formally communicate his decision, taken on December 23, 2024, to withhold approval for the bill recently passed by the National Assembly.
“I am declining assent to the bill as Section 22 confers authority over the disposal of the university’s land on the state governor, rather than the President, as should be the case for land belonging to the federal government,” the letter stated.
At a stakeholders’ forum held last week in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Senator Yaroe clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not reject the proposed bill but only highlighted clerical errors that needed correction.
The Senator said the President’s observations were centered on ensuring the bill aligns with constitutional provisions.
“The President pointed out certain errors in the bill that required compliance with the constitution. For instance, we mistakenly assigned the authority to grant land to the governor instead of the President, who is the rightful visitor to the institution. We will rectify this by replacing ‘governor’ with ‘president’ in the bill,” he explained.
Following, the House adjourned plenary until Wednesday, February 5, 2025, in honour of the late Deputy Whip, Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga, who passed away on January 15.
Onanuga, who was 59 at the time of her passing, represented the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency of Ogun State. A dedicated lawmaker, she also served as the Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs in the 9th Assembly.
