Reps seek better funding for polytechnics

The House of Representatives has promised to advocate for appropriate funding of Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria in the 2025 budget.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, Kayode Laguda made this pledge.

Speaking in an interview with reporters on Tuesday at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, shortly after the committee’s oversight functions, Laguda stated that there was inadequate funding for the existing polytechnics in the country by the Federal Government.

The institution’s Rector, Dr. Kadiri Kamoru, had earlier appealed to the Federal Government to “inject more money into the polytechnic sector for Nigeria to develop technologically.”

Laguda said, “Funding issues are not peculiar to Federal Polytechnic, Offa alone. Other Federal Polytechnics that the committee has visited have also raised funding concerns. So we intend, as a committee, to advocate for increased funding from the Federal Government for the polytechnic community in next year’s budget and beyond.”

On the committee’s mission to the institution, the lawmaker stated, “We are here to carry out our statutory oversight functions. We had a very long day, going through their documentation. For all the things we did not get to see, we asked them to forward those to us in our office.”

Also speaking with reporters, the Rector urged the Federal Government to grant degree-awarding status to Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria.

According to him, “That status would eliminate the vexed issue of the dichotomy between polytechnic and university graduates in the country.”

He added, “We have a Polytechnic Act that empowers us to award degrees. We have middle-level and high-level manpower. We have everything, including the manpower requirements for the award of degrees at the Federal Polytechnic, Offa; we can boast of 65 academic staff who have PhD degrees in various disciplines, so we are qualified to award degrees to our students.”

“If the Federal Government allows us to award degrees and establishes a professorial cadre in the polytechnics, there will be no dichotomy between university and polytechnic graduates. Polytechnics have capable hands. Here in Offa, I can tell you that we have more than 65 doctoral degree holders,” he said.