Fresh bills seeking to establish 47 new federal universities in the country have scaled first reading at the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers at the green chamber also passed for second reading at total of 56 bills to establish Federal Medical Centres (FMC) in various parts of the country.
The bills are part of 962 bills which were passed by the House for first reading in the last six months since its inauguration.
The House is also considering various bills to establish about 32 Federal Colleges of Education, 11 Federal Colleges of Agriculture and Five Federal Polytechnics in addition to the already existing institutions.
Currently, there are 45 Federal Universities, 22 Federal Medical centres, 27 Federal Colleges of Education and 40 Polytechnics across the country.
Several others are awaiting a debate on the general principles and passage for a second reading when the House resumes from its Christmas break.
The universities being considered include conventional universities, Universities of Science and Technology, Universities of Agriculture, Universities of Medical Science, Universities of Sport, and Aviation among others.
In addition to these institutions, the House is considering various bills to establish colleges of vocational and skill acquisition, colleges of entrepreneurial studies, and Cancer research centres among others.
A study of the House order paper listing the institutions and other bills under consideration revealed that Lagos State, for example, has requested for the establishment of three new Federal Medical Centres in addition to the already existing one.
While addressing members of the House before embarking on the Christmas break, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen disclosed that the House received and considered nine hundred and sixty-two (962) bills, five hundred (500) Motions, and one hundred and fifty-three (153) petitions in six months.
The Speaker said that of these numbers, one hundred and Twenty (120) bills have passed the Second Reading stage and are currently undergoing further review and refinement to address some of the concerns raised during the debates.
He said further that another one hundred and twenty-two (120) bills have been referred to committees for in-depth analysis.
