The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, may soon transition from a specialized University of Technology to a conventional university, following the introduction of a new bill in the Nigerian Senate.
The proposed legislation — Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi (Establishment) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (SB. 910) — sponsored by Senator Shehu Umar Buba (Bauchi South), has passed its first reading. The bill seeks to amend the institution’s founding law to broaden its academic scope beyond technology and engineering disciplines.
If enacted, the amendment would allow ATBU to establish new faculties and departments in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, while maintaining its strong foundation in science, technology, and engineering education.
According to Senator Buba, the proposal aims to expand access to higher education in the North-East region, where Bauchi remains the only state without a conventional federal university.
> “This amendment is designed to bridge the educational gap in Bauchi and provide more diverse academic opportunities for our youth,” he said.
The lawmaker also noted that the initiative would safeguard existing programmes that might otherwise be affected by the Federal Ministry of Education’s directive requiring specialized universities to strictly adhere to their core mandates. Without this amendment, ATBU could be compelled to phase out certain faculties, such as Management Sciences, that fall outside its technological focus.
Education analysts have described the bill as part of a broader conversation on higher education reform in Nigeria, emphasizing the need for universities to adapt to evolving social, economic, and workforce realities.
If approved, the transformation of ATBU into a conventional university could reshape its academic landscape, attract a more diverse student population, and boost human capital development across the North-East region.
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