In a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s teacher education system, the Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill sponsored by Senator Jibrin Isah (Kogi East)—popularly known as Echocho—to upgrade the College of Education, Ankpa, into a Federal University of Education.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal University of Education, Anpa, for its Management and Administration, and for Related Matters, 2025 (SB. 716),” received unanimous support during plenary, with lawmakers praising its vision, practicality, and national relevance.
Echocho, while leading the debate, described the bill as a strategic response to the national teacher gap, one that seeks to transform an already functional academic institution in Kogi State into a center of excellence for the professional training of teachers from across Nigeria.
“This is not a fresh creation,” the Kogi senator emphasized. “The College is already affiliated with six universities and offers a wide range of degree programs. We are only seeking to upgrade and empower it to offer postgraduate degrees, including master’s and PhDs, to strengthen the teacher education pipeline.”
The move comes amid growing concerns about the shortage of professionally trained teachers across Nigeria, a crisis many senators believe is at the heart of the country’s declining educational standards.
Senator Diket Plang noted that the country’s drive to build universities of technology, marine science, and mining would fail without a strong foundation in teacher training.
“No doctor, no engineer, no soldier exists without a teacher,” he said. “If we don’t invest in institutions that train teachers, every other investment in higher education will suffer.”
Senator Adamu Aliero backed the bill, noting that Kogi State, one of the most populous in the North Central region, needs more tertiary institutions to cater to its educational demands. He emphasized that the proposed university will not only serve Kogi but also support teacher education nationwide.
“We are not establishing a new institution from scratch. This is an existing school with infrastructure, manpower, and programs already in place,” he said. “It is a smart, cost-effective upgrade.”
Senator Professor Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) hailed the bill as a bold, inclusive vision for Nigeria’s education sector.
“University means universality,” Ani said. “This university will promote access to learning without prejudice—regardless of race, creed, gender, or political belief. It embodies what higher education should stand for.”
He added that graduates with degrees in education are far better equipped to teach than those who switch to teaching from unrelated disciplines, and urged the Senate to support the bill’s speedy passage.
Senator Echocho clarified that the bill carries no significant financial implications, as required by Order 76(3) of the Senate Standing Orders (2023, as amended). The facilities and systems needed for the conversion are already in place at the College of Education, Ankpa.
“This is a bill of transformation, not expenditure,” he stated. “We’re asking for the legal backing to scale an institution that is already delivering and has the capacity to deliver much more.”
Following the wide support, Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared:
“Those in support of the second reading of this bill, say ‘Aye’… The Ayes have it.”
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, with a mandate to report back in six weeks.
If passed into law, the Federal University of Education, Anpa, will become a model for how strategic upgrades—rather than new capital-intensive constructions—can solve national challenges in education through smart policy and political will.