…As executive secretary reveals two years without capital funding

The House of Representatives has commenced a probe into the funding challenges confronting the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), demanding a copy of the KPMG report on the agency to guide legislative action.

The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje, disclosed that the board had not received capital funding in the past two years, a situation that has stalled the execution of its capital projects.

Bugaje made the disclosure on Wednesday during an oversight session with the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education at the board’s headquarters.

He identified inadequate funding as the agency’s major challenge, expressing hope that government releases would enable it to resume suspended 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 coming days we will have releases and work will resume,” he said.

Responding, the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, said the committee would examine the challenges confronting the agency and make appropriate recommendations.

He disclosed that the committee had requested the KPMG report on the NBTE to enable lawmakers to study its findings and recommendations before deciding on further action.

The Federal Government engaged KPMG Advisory Services in August to undertake a comprehensive assessment and restructuring of the board as part of efforts to strengthen the regulation of polytechnics and technical institutions and accelerate skills development nationwide.

Speaking with journalists after the oversight session, Laguda said the committee had yet to receive the report and would not reach conclusions without examining its contents.

“The report from KPMG, we have not seen it; we just heard about it today. That is why we have requested for the report to study it, look at the findings and recommendations before making our conclusions,” he said.

On the funding shortfall, the lawmaker acknowledged the need to improve the agency’s financial allocations, adding that the committee would also explore ways of increasing its internally generated revenue.

“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 said.

Laguda added that the committee had requested additional documents on issues raised by the NBTE management and would take appropriate action after reviewing the submissions.

He also disclosed that work was ongoing on the proposed amendment to the NBTE Act, assuring that the committee would seek to expedite consideration of the legislation.

On staffing, the chairman said the agency needed to make a stronger case for additional personnel, noting that its workforce appeared inadequate in relation to its responsibilities.

During the oversight session, lawmakers demanded details of the agency’s capital budget from 2024 to date, including information on contracts and sources of internally generated revenue.

Earlier, Bugaje commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, for constituting a standing committee dedicated to polytechnics, describing the move as a demonstration of the legislature’s recognition of the importance of technical and technological education.

On the KPMG report, the executive secretary said the assessment had recommended a reorganisation of the agency, leading to the appointment of two coordinating directors and an expansion of its structure to 22 departments.

According to him, the report also identified inadequate funding as a major challenge, noting that comparable institutions received up to four times the resources allocated to the NBTE.

Despite the funding constraints, Bugaje said the agency’s internally generated revenue had increased steadily since 2024.

He identified service charges, NBTE Consult and NBTE Hotels as the board’s three major sources of internally generated revenue, adding that management planned to expand its revenue-generating activities.

The executive secretary also disclosed that the board was working to phase out non-technology and non-applied sciences courses in polytechnics to refocus the institutions on their core statutory mandate of technical education and skills development.

He said new curricula in agricultural studies had also been introduced as part of efforts to strengthen technical training and equip students with relevant skills.

On the disputed NBTE land in Abuja, Bugaje said the matter remained before the court, adding that the management was pursuing the case.