Nasarawa : Akpabio Blocks Move To Relocate Federal Polytechnic To Eggon

The Senate on Tuesday stepped down a bill seeking to relocate the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, to Nasarawa Eggon after Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled that the proposed amendment could effectively amount to relocating an upgraded university.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Envulu-Anza Danladi (APC, Nasarawa North), sought to amend the Federal Polytechnics Act, 2026, to move the institution from Nasarawa West to Nasarawa Eggon in Nasarawa North.

But Akpabio advised Danladi to withdraw the relocation proposal and introduce fresh legislation for the establishment of a new federal polytechnic in Nasarawa Eggon.

The Senate President gave the directive during plenary while the chamber considered the Federal Polytechnics Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Presenting the bill, Danladi said the existing federal polytechnic had been upgraded to university status, leaving Nasarawa North without a federal tertiary institution.

He argued that relocating the institution to Nasarawa Eggon would address the educational needs of his constituents and correct the imbalance in access to federal higher education.

However, Akpabio warned that the proposed amendment could not proceed in its current form because the institution Danladi sought to relocate had already been upgraded to a university.

He said relocating it under the proposed legislation could amount to moving the university itself, potentially triggering opposition from its host community.

“Your bill cannot go for second reading because you are talking about relocation. If you relocate it, it has already been upgraded to university status,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President urged Danladi to leave the upgraded institution at its current location and sponsor a fresh bill seeking the establishment of another federal polytechnic in Nasarawa Eggon.

He assured the senator that the Senate would support the proposal, expressing optimism that President Bola Tinubu would also back the establishment of the new institution.

Akpabio explained that once an institution had been upgraded, legislation could not proceed on the assumption that it still existed in its former status.

Using an analogy, he said upgrading a primary school to a secondary school meant the former institution no longer existed in its original form.

Danladi accepted the advice, thanking the Senate President for the clarification and agreeing that fresh legislation would be the appropriate course of action.

The bill was subsequently stepped down to allow the senator to prepare a new proposal seeking the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic in Nasarawa Eggon.

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