The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to establish the Federal University of Mining and Geo-Science in Jos, Plateau State.
The upper chamber passed the bill after considering the report of its Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, presented by Muntari Dandutse, its Chairperson.
Sponsored by Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), its provisions repeal the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geo-Science Act, 2018.
The Committee of the Whole had considered the bill clause by clause. Thereafter, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced its passage after a majority of the senators supported it through voice vote.
Mr Dandutse, while presenting the report of his committee earlier, said many stakeholders unanimously supported the establishment of the mining university.
The Katsina South senator said the committee had critically examined the provision of the bill and that majority of the senators supported it during the public hearing.
He, therefore, recommended that the Senate pass the bill.
Okechukwu Ezea, the senator for the Enugu North Senatorial District, seconded the bill’s passage.
During the debate on the bills, Mr Plang said his state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, six first class monarchs from the state and other stakeholders in the mining sector attended the public hearing on the bill.
“The public hearing on this bill was overwhelming where we even have the governor of Plateau, and six first class traditional rulers and various stakeholders in the mining institute came,” he said.
He said the bill presents Nigeria another opportunity to have a university of mines and geo science.
“I feel that this bill is another opportunity for us to have a university of mines where Nigerians and Nigerian locality are blessed with minerals. And if God has blessed us with mineral resources, it becomes our duty to deepen our knowledge in the area of where we are gifted so that the exploration, exploitation and mining of minerals will be done by Nigerians themselves,” he added.
After the debate, Mr Akpabio put the bill’s passage to vote and the majority of the senators supported it.
In his remarks, the senate president congratulated Nigerians for the move to establish the university.
“I congratulate all Nigerians. Indeed we now have a mining University and then we will now focus on mining. Mining is a major revenue source. This Senate is taking the right direction,” he said.
With the passage of the bill at the Senate, it will now be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence.