….Says bill only seeking upgrade of centre to university status
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has clarified that the University of Nigerian Languages, Aba (Establishment, etc) Bill, 2024, is not attached to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name. He said that the Bill is only seeking to upgrade the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Aba, Abia State to a University of Nigerian Languages.
Kalu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, made the clarification when the members of the Governing Board of NINLAN led by their chairman, Professor Victor Ukaogo paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. He explained that the bill sponsored by him and eight others does not have the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a prefix to it. He said: “To review the establishment act of the NINLAN to change your status from not being funded by TETFUND to a level where you can be funded, enlarge your curriculum and give out more to the society is what the bill is all about.
“The Bill has nothing to do with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name. What was published in our journal says university of Nigerian languages. “This was what we submitted but the news we are getting outside is that they are attaching the name of Bola Ahmed Tinubu just to drag a president, who is making concerted efforts to ensure that education in Nigeria is stronger than he met it. “Election is over, people should leave the President out of petty issues. He doesn’t know about this, was never part of it. We are looking for how to lift the standard of the institution which the federal government is spending money on to go from where it is to where it ought to be and that we must do. This is not the first institution I am moving bills for their status to change and it’s not going to be the last.
“My interest is that we should not allow NINLAN to die. The issue of the school’s nomenclature is secondary, it’s a federal government establishment already. It has the potential to create more jobs, do more for our people. “It’s not a new university. We want to upgrade you to where you can benefit from TETFUND and build capacity and train more people and be a reference point.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Board, Professor Victor Ukaogo told the Deputy Speaker that NINLAN needed urgent federal attention to tackle many of its challenges.
