By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Senate on Tuesday passed the second reading of a bill proposing amendments to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Act, with the aim of removing “Technology” from the institution’s name and transforming it into a conventional university.
The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (Amendment) Bill 2025 (SB 910) seeks to expand the university’s mandate beyond science and technology, enabling it to offer programmes in law, social sciences, and other non-technical disciplines.
This development was captured in a NASS TV clip of Tuesday’s plenary session obtained by our correspondent.
Sponsored by Senator Shehu Buba (Bauchi South), the bill passed the second reading and was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund for further legislative scrutiny. The committee is expected to submit its report within four weeks.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio praised the bill’s sponsor and acknowledged the support of fellow lawmakers, noting that the Senate had previously approved similar transitions for other specialised institutions.
“Let me thank Distinguished Senator Shehu Buba for bringing this to the fore, and I also thank all Distinguished Senators who have made their contributions. It is not just contributing; I know that this hallowed chamber also changed the name of the former Rivers State University of Science and Technology to Rivers State University, thereby making it a conventional university after it was taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“So I hope that after the public hearing, everybody will be in one accord so that we can proceed from there. I thank you all for your contributions,” he said.
Akpabio’s comments underscored the Senate’s ongoing efforts to modernise specialised universities and broaden their academic offerings to meet national educational demands.
If enacted, the amendment will officially rename Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and authorise it to operate as a non-specialised institution, offering a wider array of academic programmes.
Founded in 1981, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is a federal university of technology located in Bauchi, in Nigeria’s north-eastern region.
The institution is named after Nigeria’s first and only prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Its motto, “Doctrina Mater Artium,” translates to “Education is the mother of the practical arts.”