A Bauchi-based legal practitioner, Barrister Jibrin Jibrin, has declared support for the ongoing move to convert the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, from a technology-based institution into a conventional university.
Jibrin stated this on Monday while reacting to the bill sponsored by Senator Shehu Buba of Bauchi South, seeking to amend the ATBU Act and remove “technology” from the university’s name. The bill, which aims to transform the institution into a conventional university, passed second reading at the Senate in October.
However, ATBU management, the alumni association, and staff unions have openly rejected the move, saying they were neither consulted nor carried along during the legislative process.
They described the Senate’s action as a shock, insisting that the university’s specialised mandate should remain intact.
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But Barrister Jibrin argued that Bauchi, despite being the most populous state in the North-East, remains the only state in the region without a conventional federal university—an imbalance he said the bill would correct.
According to him, converting ATBU into a conventional university would expand its academic mandate to include disciplines such as Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Education, Arts, and Humanities, thereby transforming it into a major national training hub.
“Transforming ATBU into a conventional university will ensure fair distribution of educational opportunities and align Bauchi State with the national educational framework,” he said.
Jibrin added that a broader academic structure would increase employment opportunities by attracting more academic and non-academic staff, stimulate housing and commercial activities, and strengthen public-private partnerships in research and innovation.
He argued that the move would also help reduce the migration of students to other states, saving families and the government huge costs.
While citing empirical evidence, the lawyer noted that institutions such as the University of Maiduguri and the Federal University, Lafia, experienced significant growth in small-scale enterprises, healthcare services, and real estate following diversification of their academic programmes.
Jibrin, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bauchi branch, further stressed that the proposed transition would not diminish ATBU’s legacy in science and technology.
“In Northern Nigeria, the leading universities in the fields of STEM are a mix of both conventional and specialised institutions,” he said.
He called on political leaders, traditional rulers, the academic community, and other stakeholders in Bauchi State to support the initiative to ensure its successful implementation.
