By Paul Effiong, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has given reasons why he refused to append his signature on the much-anticipated Federal University of Education, Numan, Establishment Bill 2024.
The president disclosed his reasons in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
The letter, which was read in the Chamber by the Feputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over a brief plenary session yesterday, was entitled: “Presidential Decision to Decline Assent to the Federal University of Education Numan, Establishment, Bill, 2024.”
According to the president, one of the fundamental errors of the expected legislation include ambiguity in Section 22 of the Bill which accords the authority to consent to the disposal of land to the governor and not the president in respect of land belonging to a federal government entity (in the case of universities).
The president’s letter also queried the use of the word “statutes”, maintaining that it was wrongly spelled as “statues” in items 13 and 15 of the proposed law under arrangement of sections.
He also informed that the use of ‘the preposition “of” is clearly omitted between the word “award” and “degree” in Section 25(4)(b) of the Bill.
Tinubu also declined endorsement of the expected legislation because of the phrase “one-third” which, according to him, was wrongly spelt as “on-third” in article 4(3) of the third schedule to the Bill.
He also informed that such decision was in pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
His refusal, according to the letter, was conveyed to the House of Representatives on December 23, 2024.
