GAGDI'S APPRECIATION, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION PANKSHIN ESTABLISHED || AS SIGNED & PAASED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BUHARI || ESTABLISHMENT ACT (2021) ||

Finally, Federal College of Education Pankshin has legally assumed the status of a full fledged University of Education, following the signing into law of the Federal University of Education Pankshin Establishment Act (2021), sponsored by me, which was passed into law by the National Assembly and forwarded to Mr President for his assent on the 31st December 2021. The cheering news of the Act receiving Presidential nod has put paid to the endless waiting, heralded by the series of legislative lobbying and high powered consultations to see that the institution is rightly elevated to the status of a University, giving the magnitude of human and material resources it is endowed with, to enable it conveniently operate as a University of Education.

My joy knows no bounds, and I am full of gratitude to God almighty for making my pledge to the people of PKK and the generality of Plateau citizens, of making sure the institution is upgraded to a Federal University before the end of my tenure in 2023, comes to fruition. I recall with utmost joy, the sleepless nights, intense lobbying and disappointments encountered in the process of achieving this feat, but the huddles experienced have made the victory even more sweeter. As an alumni of the institution, my greatest achievement as the member representing PKK is not the hundreds of youths I have helped to secure permanent employment in various federal establishments, neither is it the plethora of physical projects permeating the nooks and crannies of PKK, nor the various empowerment programs I have rolled out to ameliorate the lots of our electorate; but my greatest achievement is the singular victory of achieving my innate desire to see FCE Pankshin upgraded to a university of Education.

For political reasons, some pessimistic naysayers, some of whom are my constituents, had wished and prayed that such feat was never achieved; but Almighty God who sees the heart of men, knows that my efforts were never meant to merely score political points, but the relentless desire for my people to assess the benefits accruable to them by reason of this development. Permit me to acknowledge that this feat was made possible through the guidance of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who ensured the hitch-free passage of the Bill at the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawal, who ensured the Bill was cuncurred within seven days of its presentation to the senate, after its passage by the House of Representatives. I am particularly grateful to the Exexutive Governor of Plateau State for his fatherly role; whom upon receipt of a copy of the Act passed by the National Assembly, relocated to Abuja to see President Buhari to lobby for the Act to be signed into law within the stipulated time.

I dedicate this milestone to the people of PKK who found me worthy to represent them at this point in history. I so much appreciate President Buhari who made this possible by appending his signature to the Act, on behalf of all Nigerians. This, Mr President did because of his love for the educational advancement of all Nigerians, because the importance of the institution to the educational well-being of our fatherland cannot be over emphasized. It will be recalled that this is the second private member bill I sponsored, which was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by Mr President; the first been the Police Repeal and Re-enactment Act Signed into law on the 15th of September 2020. This development makes me the only National Assembly member of the 9th Assembly to sponsor two private member bills that were passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by the President. This is even more remarkable that I am just a first term member of the National Assembly. This is a sign of more to come for the people of PKK, if reelected to the National Assembly for a second term. With the sterling achievements so far recorded, I earnestly call on ALL conscience electorate of PKK to VOGA in 2023, for more dividends of democracy to our Constituency. SIGNED: RT. HON YUSUF Gagdi, (Dan Malikin Kanam), Member Representing PKK and Chairman House Committee on Navy.