NIGERIANS are yet to come to terms with the relevance of the polytechnics to the technological development of Nigeria as a nation. Most Nigerians are very knowledgeable about the roles of the universities, but extremely ignorant on the roles and objectives of the polytechnics or technological education, to the development of the Nigerian nation.

The polytechnic education was not established to be static. Public and private universities established a decade ago are running both undergraduate and post-graduate courses. The dormant and static nature of the polytechnic education in Nigeria is that both the students and lecturers are supposed to produce and develop intermediate and middle level manpower. Education prepares the mind and character, hence the establishment of educational institutions both at the primary, secondary and tertiary level. The focus of this paper is on the financial neglect of the technological institutions, vis-à-vis the polytechnics and colleges of technology, and on the need for increased funding of the polytechnics, so that they can achieve their objectives and produce the necessary manpower needed to take Nigeria and Nigerians to the next level of technological development.

Not minding the pursuit of development by Nigeria, and other nations, there is still a big gap between the actual level of productivity and what is technically feasible through the application of science and technology as demonstrated by the polytechnics and colleges of technology.

We do not all need to attend the four walls of universities to contribute to the development of Nigeria. Education is dynamic. The polytechnics must be dynamic, abreast of events and must be relevant to today’s academic and social needs. If today’s public and newly established private universities can attract the highest human resources, what reason can you adduce to polytechnics that were established over 50 years ago, but has remained dormant in only developing and producing students who can only acquire National and Higher National Diploma Certificates.

Polytechnic must move with time and events. Polytechnics should provide a wide spectrum of education that those who deserve it can get fulfillment in their education. They should provide the many arts and skills for many people and with different needs to accommodate students on full time, sandwich, distance learning and part-time leading to the acquisition of technological and managerial skills needed to take Nigeria to the next level. The focus of the polytechnic education is in practical acquisition of skills and knowledge, and this they have demonstrated through the visits to industries and the emphasis on practical acquisition of knowledge which Nigerians can now boast of.

To achieve these objectives, the polytechnics, just like their university counterparts, must be properly and effectively funded. The poor application of science and technology and the neglect of the polytechnic education is the major reason for the existence of the wide gap between production level, and the actual production in Nigeria now.

Societies like Nigeria that neglect science and technology, vis-à-vis the technological/polytechnic education experience poor level of technological progress.In Nigeria, little preference is always given to technology that is amenable to labour intensive techniques, because of the abundant human and labour resources. Providing the middle level and dynamic higher level technical skills is very necessary for industrial development. The supply of such technicians has an effect on the economy and this assists in the industrial development of Nigeria.

The increasing danger of steady deterioration in the polytechnic and technical education sector was what gave rise to a 10-month strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in 2014. The underfunding has led to many courses being scrapped or not fully accredited. Thanks for the intervention by TETFUND which is still not adequate, most lecture halls are in dilapidated form and equipment in most cases are not existent or obsolete. Most of the courses lack necessary manpower and technical aids for practical experiments. This is a common phenomenon in all the polytechnics.

Inadequate Funding
One common problem of the polytechnic is inadequate funding. The universities get a sizeable chunk of the education budget, leaving the crumbs for the polytechnics. In specific years, these polytechnics do not receive capital grants for development. This development reflects the declining budgetary allocation for the past two decades.

Budgetary outlay to education as a percentage of total expenditure allocation of the federal government stood at 40 per cent during independence in1960. It declined to 14 per cent in 1976 and 7.3 per cent in 1995. At present, it radiates between seven and 10 per cent, which is a dangerous phenomenon.

Nigeria as a nation fares poorly in investing in education. Other African and Asian countries devote a sizeable proportion of their resources to education and most importantly technical education. The rise of the Asian Tigers and the developments in the western world is as a result of their investment in technical education. Malaysia, India and Japan are examples of countries that value technical education. A better way of ending insurgency and terrorism to invest in the mind and education is a very viable way of diverting the attention of the minds to productive ventures.

The fad now is for our retired and serving politicians, religious leaders, opinion leaders, past leaders and the rich, to open private universities, instead of compelling the government to find solutions to the problems afflicting the technical educational sector. Rich Nigerians now send their children and wards to what they term to be well-equipped private schools in Europe, America, Asia and even Africa. The substandard tertiary polytechnics are left for those rejected in the universities, and for the poor.

Polytechnic and colleges of technology lecturers who would have loved to stay and nurture students in technological education are demoralised, and join the local or foreign brain drain. Local brain drain in the senses that every PhD/Doctoral holder wants to be a university lecturer and be a professor, as that progression and the attendant benefits can never be realised in the polytechnics. Those with useful links and connections join the brain drain to Europe, America and Australia. Many universities in Ghana, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa have in their domain many Nigerian lecturers from the polytechnic sector, in their universities and polytechnics.

The once, dynamic polytechnic graduates like General Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR), Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, Dr. Ayozi Daniel and Dr. Oboreh Jacob and the likes from many polytechnics in Nigeria, have become shadows of their counterparts in the universities. Current researches and comments show that the once analytical, and research result oriented Nigerian graduates from the polytechnics have become shadows of their counterparts in the universities and from other countries of Nigeria. Present day polytechnic graduates lack analytical research and problem solving skills. Their communications ability in both oral and written skills is grossly inadequate to cope with the demands of the present day world order.

One of the most staring challenges now and ever before in the polytechnic sector, in restoring the prospects of the polytechnic and technological education sector is the reduction in the industrial production owing to the realities of the macroeconomic sector. Most of our Nigerian polytechnics are made to work in the industries and given the low capacity utilisation of the industries overtime many of the polytechnic graduates with practical IT experience hardly find jobs.

The implication is that many Nigerian high school secondary leavers hardly want to be graduates of the polytechnics. Most school leavers are eager to pursue useful and not too useful courses in the universities. So that this will arm them with the unnecessary university degrees necessary to survive in the turbulent Nigerian economic environment. This attitude must change for Nigeria to attain a higher developmental status.

The way forward
It is doubtful if there is available manpower plan and projection for Nigeria. The national manpower Board (NABTE) and the NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) should as a matter of urgency meet periodically to determine the technological, economic and manpower needs of Nigerians and the economy, taking a sector by sector and profession by profession, projection analysis both from the immediate and long-term needs of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Nigeria must now than ever before develop and facilitate a multi-donor activity to conduct an international review system of innovation using a methodology which was successfully developed by UNESCO, and applied to China, South Africa and Chile.

The Federal Government under PMB and the new education ministers must review the poor funding of the educational sector vis-à-vis the polytechnic sector. The technological and the polytechnic sector must be properly and adequately funded. By doing this the PMB Government will invest in the youths, human and capital development of Nigeria
• Ayozie is of Department of Marketing, The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State