The Center for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), has urged Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno to sign into law the Bill seeking to upgrade the Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit to the status of a university.
The foremost internationally recognised civil society-cum-human rights organisation in Nigeria, made the call during a press briefing by its Director, Otuekong Franklyn Isong flanked by members of the organisation at the office of the Center in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital on Wednesday, 7 May, 2025.
CHRAN stated that it has been at the head of advocacies towards the upgrade of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit, saying that members of CHRAN had embarked on several advocacy visits to the College of Education, Afaha Nsit, during which period the CHRAN team met with the management of the College and toured and appraised the facilities of the College.
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“In March, 2024, during an advocacy visit to the College, CHRAN, while advocating for the State Government to upgrade the College to the status of a University of Education, expressed concern that the institution, which was established in October 1990, has been losing students enrolment to universities as most parents and guardians preferred a four-year degree programme to a three-year National Certificate of Education (NCE) programme offered by the College.
“Findings by CHRAN indicates that admission into the Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit for the NCE programme has drastically reduced from over 5,000 in the late 1990s to just 69 in the 2023/2024 session.
“CHRAN also found that the labour market no longer favours NCE graduates. Again, as findings by the CHRAN indicate, about 11 academic programmes in the Akwa Ibom State College of Education are already running the degree programme affiliated to the University of Uyo.
“According to findings by CHRAN, the drastic drop in students enrolment for the NCE programme, coupled with the ceiling by the University of Uyo on admissions by the College of Education, Afaha Nsit for the degree programme, the internally-generated revenue (IGR) of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit has become too low for meaningful administration and academic progress of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit.
“CHRAN had decried that although the College is empowered by Law to award degrees, it can only do so in affiliation with the University of Uyo,” the CHRAN boss pointed out.
The organisation noted that Section 4(2)(c) of the Akwa Ibom State College of Education Law specifically provides that the Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo shall be a member of the Council of the Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit.
The Center maintained that when the Bill becomes Law, Akwa Ibom State will boast of an institution that will ensure the availability of highly-trained manpower at all levels of education. “Of course, this will be a big boost to the ARISE Agenda of the current administration of Pastor Umo Eno, PhD”, the CHRAN Director asserted.
CHRAN declared its support for the Bill and urged all stakeholders to close ranks and synergise towards the realisation of the lofty objectives of the Bill.
It commended the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, and members of the House of Assembly, especially the Chairman and Members of the House Committee on Education, for taking concrete legislative steps towards upgrading the Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit to the Akwa Ibom State University of Education, Afaha Nsit.
Passage of the Bill
Recall that the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly had on the 13th of March, 2025, passed the “A Bill For A Law To Provide For The Establishment Of The Akwa Ibom State University Of Education, Afaha Nsit And To Make Provisions For Its Administration And For Other Purposes Connected Thereto.”
This was due to the report presented to the Assembly by the House Committee on Education, headed by the member representing Oron/Udung Uko State Constituency, Mrs. Kenim Onofiok, during plenary, held at the Assembly Complex, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.
According to her, the bill would provide high quality teacher education programmes as well as offer opportunities to Akwa Ibom children seeking admission into degree-awarding institutions, observing that students are no longer interested in registering for the three-year National Certificate in Education (NCE) programme, but prefer to study a four-year degree programme, hence the decline on admission into the NCE programmes of the College.
Earlier, the House Committee on Education had, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, conducted a public hearing for stakeholders in the education sector, among others, to make input for the bill.
The House, which was dissolved into the Committee of the Whole, considered 33 clauses and adopted the committee’s recommendations on the bill.
A motion for the bill was read and moved a third time by the member representing Onna State Constituency and leader of the House, Elder Sunday Johnny, while the member representing Oruk Anam State Constituency and deputy chief whip, Mr. Sampson Idiong seconded it.
Consequently, the bill was passed into law at plenary presided by the speaker, Elder Udeme Otong.
