By NAOMI SHARANG

The Senate has directed its committees and the Clerk to suspend processing bills seeking the establishment of new universities and other tertiary institutions, in line with Federal Government policy.

The Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, who made the position known during plenary, urged lawmakers to respect the government’s decision to halt the establishment of new tertiary institutions.

Bamidele said the directive was necessary to ensure that existing universities and other institutions were adequately established and strengthened before considering additional ones.

He urged the Clerk of the Senate to guide lawmakers on the policy, noting that some legislators might not be aware of the government’s position.

The senate leader also advised committees on education to be mindful of the directive to avoid presenting such bills for consideration during plenary.

He said lawmakers sometimes found it difficult to turn down requests from colleagues seeking legislative support for the establishment of new institutions.

Supporting the position, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, said President Bola Tinubu had discussed the matter with the leadership of the National Assembly.

Akpabio said Tinubu expressed his opposition to establishing new universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions for the next five to seven years.

According to him, the moratorium is intended to allow existing institutions to develop their infrastructure and commence effective academic operations.

He observed that several recently established universities existed largely on paper, with some yet to secure permanent sites or complete necessary site-clearance processes.

The senate president stressed that establishing universities was a serious national responsibility and should not be treated with the same simplicity as establishing primary schools.

He noted that universities were national institutions expected to admit students from different parts of the country, irrespective of their geographical locations.

Akpabio said the Federal Government had made efforts to distribute universities across different parts of the country, making it necessary to consolidate existing investments.

He consequently directed the clerk to ensure that bills seeking the establishment of new tertiary institutions were no longer listed for consideration.

Following the deliberations, the senate adjourned plenary until Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. (NAN)