The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin (APC, Kano North), seeking to provide a legal framework for the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano, Kano State.
The Independent Mirror reports that this was contained in a statement signed by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, on October 13, 2026.
The bill was passed during plenary presided over by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON. It seeks to establish the statutory foundation for the effective management and administration of the institution.
Recall that in September 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the conversion of the Federal Colleges of Education in Kano and Zaria into federal universities of education.
Following a request by Senator Barau on behalf of the people of Kano, President Tinubu, on May 10, 2025, also approved the renaming of the Kano institution as the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano.
To provide the institution with a legal framework, Senator Barau sponsored the bill, which subsequently passed through the legislative process. The bill scaled its first reading on Wednesday, March 25, 2025, before proceeding through the subsequent stages of consideration in the Senate.
While leading the debate on the bill, Senator Barau said the legislation was necessary to provide legal backing for the institution.
He commended President Tinubu for approving the institution’s upgrade and renaming, explaining that the proposed law would provide a framework for promoting and developing teacher education, while making comprehensive provisions for the university’s management and administration.
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Senator Barau said: “Mr Senate President, this institution has already been established by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You may recall, my colleagues, that in the last Senate, I made efforts to facilitate the establishment of these institutions, including the Federal College of Education, Zaria, which was to be upgraded to a full-fledged university, as well as Alvan Ikoku College of Education and Adeyemi College of Education. The bills were passed and transmitted to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, but they were not assented to.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, I approached him and conveyed the desire of my people to have the Federal College of Education, Kano, upgraded to a full-fledged university. He assured me that, since it was the request of the people, it would be done. The President subsequently approved the upgrade of the institution.
“But we were not done yet. At the request of my people, I returned to the President to seek approval for the institution to be named after the late Yusuf Maitama Sule. The President immediately approved the request. Today, the institution is a full-fledged university offering degrees in various fields of education.
“We cannot thank Mr President enough. He loves Kano and has consistently acceded to our requests. Beyond this institution, he has also approved the establishment of the Federal University of Science and Technology in Kabo and the Federal Polytechnic in Rano. We cannot thank him enough for these interventions.”
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Senator Barau for sponsoring the bill and thanked his colleagues for supporting its swift passage.
Akpabio expressed optimism that President Tinubu would assent to the bill once it was transmitted to him, thereby providing the university with the necessary statutory and regulatory framework to fulfil its mandate and continue contributing to national development.
