ABUJA — The Senate has passed a bill to provide a legal framework for the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi (FUTIA), Akwa Ibom State. The bill was sponsored by Senator Ekong Sampson. The university was approved in 2021 but had no Act of Parliament, and began its pioneer session in 2023/2024. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Leo Daniel, described the passage as the best gift of the year. The Senate also passed bills for the Federal University of Health Sciences, Funtua, and the Federal University of Technology, Babura. The NUC has approved 12 more programmes for FUTIA, bringing its total to 36.