Reps Pass Bill for Federal College in Rivers State

The House of Representatives has passed a bill to establish the Federal College of Fisheries Technology and Marine Engineering in NGO, Rivers State. This decision followed the report presented by Hon. Akarachi Etinosa Amadi, Chairman of the House Committee on Ocean and Fisheries, during a plenary session on Thursday.

The bill, titled "A Bill for an Act to Amend the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act, Cap A12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004," was laid on November 13, 2025. The House had previously debated the bill's general principles on May 7, 2025, and conducted a public hearing on July 14, 2025, where stakeholders supported the proposal.

The legislation aims to create a specialized tertiary institution to bolster Nigeria's blue economy by providing technical training in fisheries management, aquaculture, and marine engineering, addressing local manpower deficits, and stimulating economic development in the Niger Delta region. The bill includes three clauses to amend the existing statutory framework, embedding the new college into the Third Schedule of the Principal Act for legal recognition.