A bill seeking to transform the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) into a full-fledged university to serve Nigeria and the West African sub-region has passed first reading in the Senate.
The bill, titled West African University of Legislative Studies (Establishment) Bill, 2026 (SB.1087), was read for the first time during plenary on Thursday.
The bill is sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate and First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Barau I. Jibrin.
Senator Barau had announced his intention to sponsor the legislation on Monday while representing the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio, at the 10th Convocation Ceremony of the NILDS-University of Benin (UNIBEN) postgraduate programmes in Abuja.
At the ceremony, he disclosed that he had commenced discussions with the Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar O. Sulaiman, on modalities for converting the institute into a university.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, Senator Barau proposed that the institution be named the West African University of Legislative Studies (WAULS).
According to him, the proposed university would leverage NILDS’ existing infrastructure and institutional capacity to strengthen legislative practice, democratic governance and regional integration.
“Going by the quality of infrastructure this great institute has acquired over the years, there is a need for it to be transformed into a full-fledged university,” Barau said.
“I even told him that, as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Nigeria has always played a fatherly role within the ECOWAS community. Going by the structure of this great institute, it can serve not only Nigeria but the entire West African sub-region.
“The university should be named the West African University of Legislative Studies so that we can bring in legislators not only from Nigeria but also from all ECOWAS member states to study here. This would be a way of extending our role in uniting the people of West Africa,” he added.
He noted that the location of the ECOWAS Parliament, ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Court of Justice in Nigeria makes the country strategically positioned to host a regional institution dedicated to legislative capacity building and democratic development.
The proposed university, he said, would provide a platform for legislators and other stakeholders across West Africa to acquire specialised knowledge and skills in legislative practice, democratic governance and institutional development.
Senator Barau expressed optimism that the National Assembly would pass the bill and that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, would assent to it.
EmemMaria Ntedodom Offiong
Deputy Director (Head: Information, Press and Public Relations)
+2347082203400
Emy.offiong@fmino.gov.ng
October 28, 2026
