The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education has tasked the management of Nigeria’s federal polytechnics to be innovative by introducing courses and programs that would benefit their catchment areas.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda, issued the charge during an oversight session with rectors and management staff of Federal Polytechnic Kauran-Namoda, Zamfara State; Federal Polytechnic Bauchi; Federal Polytechnic Kaltungo, Gombe State; and Federal Polytechnic Bali, Taraba State, on Monday.
Rep. Laguda (APC-Lagos), the chairman of the committee, spoke after a presentation by the rector of Federal Polytechnic Kauran-Namoda, Zamfara State, Jonathan Murdi. He emphasized that the institution should consider introducing courses in geology, mining, and other related fields to help educate youths and prevent them from becoming bandits or their agents.
According to Rep. Laguda, “As we discussed earlier, we talked about why you don’t have mining courses in your area. If you introduce these courses, some of the gold and tin that people find in the soil there could be tested at your school, which could also generate internal revenue (IGR) for you.”
He continued, “So, things that are right under your nose shouldn’t be overlooked as if they are impossible. The challenges of today are what you should apply. That is part of innovation. So, please look into this.”
The chairman noted that introducing such courses could address the decline in student enrollment due to insecurity in Zamfara State.
“We will be glad to hear that the number of students is not declining, but increasing. This can be achieved through the standards you set for students. If we produce top-tier students who perform well when they enter the workforce, you’ll be surprised at the multiplier effect. Employers will mention how well students from Zamfara Polytechnic are performing in their factories. Students and parents will hear this and send their children to your institution.”
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After his presentation, the rector was instructed to submit, among other documents, evidence of insurance payments and the increase in personnel costs for 2024, despite a shortfall of 50 personnel.
In his presentation, Dr. Sani Usman, the rector of Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, stated that the institution, established in 1976, currently has 2,112 academic and non-academic staff, six schools, and offers 36 academic programs with 11,000 students. After presenting the budget performance from 2021, the rector and his team were instructed to provide more detailed documents within seven working days.
Dr. Sulaiman Lame, rector of Federal Polytechnic Kaltungo, Gombe State, explained that the institution was established in 2019, and key staff recruitment began in 2020. He added that the institution has 500 academic and non-academic staff, with 65% of staff being academic and 35% non-academic. He also mentioned that the state government provided a temporary site, and development began immediately on the permanent site. The institution has four schools: Engineering, Science, Management Studies, and General Studies, offering 11 programs with 300 students. Dr. Lame noted that the institution has built two hostels with capacities of 200 for males and 350 for females and has plans to introduce more academic programs to maximize the use of their staff.
The rector of Federal Polytechnic Bali, Taraba State, Dr. Mohammed Usman, and his team also made presentations before the committee.
Earlier, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda, chairman of the committee, explained that the oversight function was held at the National Assembly due to issues of insecurity and other factors.
“Ordinarily, you would meet in your individual institutions, but due to the timeline and, most especially, security reasons — which our rector from Zamfara can attest to — the last time we were supposed to meet, we were attacked on two occasions. On the same road we were supposed to travel, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sokoto was murdered,” he said.
“It’s not that National Assembly members are not considerate enough to meet you at your institutions. However, due to the timeline and security concerns, we had to carry out oversight from here while we plan to visit other institutions.”
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