…As NBTE moves to phase out non-applied sciences courses in polytechnics
The House of Representatives has pledged to study the KPMG report on the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and make appropriate recommendations to address the agency’s operational and funding challenges.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, gave the assurance on Wednesday during an oversight session with the management of the NBTE.
The Federal Government had in August engaged KPMG Advisory Services to conduct a comprehensive assessment and restructuring of the NBTE as part of efforts to strengthen the regulation of polytechnics and technical institutions and accelerate skills development across the country.
Speaking with journalists after the oversight session at the NBTE headquarters, Laguda said the committee had requested a copy of the report to enable members to study its findings and recommendations before taking informed decisions.
“The report from KPMG, we have not seen it; we just heard about it today. That is why we have requested the report to study it, look at the findings and recommendations before making our conclusions,” he said.
On the agency’s funding challenges, Laguda assured that the committee would explore ways to improve its financial allocations while also examining opportunities to expand its internally generated revenue (IGR).
“The funding of NBTE has to be improved upon; it has to be better, and it is a two-way thing—not just what is being received from the government, but also what they are generating.
“So, we have to look into ways to improve what they receive from the government and what they generate internally,” he stated.
Laguda added that the committee had requested additional documents relating to issues raised by the Executive Secretary and his management team during the interaction. He said the lawmakers would make appropriate recommendations after reviewing the requested documents and the KPMG report.
On the proposed amendment of the NBTE Act, the committee chairman disclosed that work was already in progress on the bill, promising to ensure its speedy consideration.
“We’ve done so much on it already presently; it is an ongoing concern and that is already being worked upon,” he said.
The lawmaker also called for a stronger justification of the agency’s request for additional personnel, noting that the number of staff appeared inadequate relative to its responsibilities.
During the oversight session, the committee also sought details of the agency’s capital budget from 2024 to date, its contract awards and the sources of its internally generated revenue.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje, commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, for establishing a standing committee dedicated to polytechnics, describing the move as evidence of the legislature’s commitment to technical and technological education.
Bugaje identified inadequate funding as the agency’s most pressing challenge, lamenting that the NBTE had not received capital funding in the last two years, a situation that had stalled the execution of capital projects.
“The major challenge affecting the NBTE is funding, and we are also working to clamp down on illegal centres. We are also waiting for the amendment of the NBTE Act, so that it becomes a commission.
“Capital projects had to be stopped, but we are hopeful that in the coming days we will have releases and work will resume,” he said.
The Executive Secretary disclosed that the KPMG report had been released and contained significant findings on the agency’s operations, including recommendations for its reorganisation.
According to him, the report recommended restructuring the NBTE, following which the agency appointed two coordinating directors and expanded its organisational structure to 22 departments.
Bugaje further said the report identified the NBTE as being poorly funded compared with other institutions, which he claimed received up to four times more funding than the Board.
Despite the funding constraints, he said the agency’s internally generated revenue had continued to increase steadily from 2024 to date.
He identified the NBTE’s three major sources of internally generated revenue as service charges, NBTE Consult and NBTE Hotels.
“There are three sources of IGR—service charge, then NBTE Consult, a company I established when I came in. We use it to look for training. The third is NBTE Hotels. We are globally recognised, and we hope to expand it because it is bringing us huge revenue,” he said.
On academic programmes in polytechnics, Bugaje disclosed that the Board was working towards phasing out non-technology and non-applied sciences courses, insisting that the institutions must return to their core statutory mandate of technical and vocational training.
He also highlighted the introduction of a new curriculum in agricultural studies as part of efforts to strengthen skills development and align polytechnic education with national development priorities.
On the disputed NBTE land in Abuja, the Executive Secretary said the matter remained before the court, adding that the management was doing its best to resolve the dispute through the judicial process.
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