NBTE moves to accredit Nigeria-Korea technology institute

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has commenced the processes of accreditation of the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute of Vocational and Advanced Technology, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Speaking at the resource inspection/approval visitation to the campus of the institution, the executive secretary, NBTE, Dr Mas’udu Kazaure, said the institution was strategic to the technological development of the country.

He said the NBTE expected the institution to tap from its collaboration with the Korean government to uplift the technology standard of the country.

Speaking through the director, Vocational Skills of the board, Abdul Mohammed, Kazaure noted that with the rate of technological development in the developed nations, there was the need for Nigeria and its educational institutions to partner with such countries, or be left 10 years behind.

Kazaure noted that many of the electronics and electrical appliances being used in the country are from Korea and that the NBTE would like to see the institution having a special impact on electronics production in the country.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Multilateral, Donor Agencies and Special Duties, Ibrahim Adoga, said the accreditation was important to the institution to enable it to actualise the reasons for its establishment.

He said the state government was committed to the accreditation because the institution had been chosen as a centre to train the participants of N-Build programme of the federal government from the North-Central zone of Nigeria.

Adoga said the state was already discussing with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to ensure certification of the vocational programmes being run by the institution.

He said the institute had also signed what is known as the “3K” Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kia Motors in South Korea to absorb graduates of the centre after finishing their studies.

The principal of the institute, Mr Gabriel Okewu, said the institute has seven departments which include electrical/electronics engineering, welding and fabrication engineering, information and communication technology.

Others, according to him, are software engineering, hardware engineering, computer networking and system security and mechatronics engineering.