From Femi Oyelola, kaduna
The House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services says about N4b was allocated to Ekowe polytechnic Bayesa State in 2017 budget, including monthly allocation of N140 million for over head with noting to show for it,hence the institution may not be appropriated for in the 2018
The chairman of the committee, Aminu Suleiman stated this in Kaduna yesterday when he led other members of the committee on an oversight visit to National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
He also added that the uncertainty surrounding its existence Polytechnic is another factor that will make the Committee not to get any funds in 2018.
According to him, the committee visited the institution sometime ago but there was nothing on ground to show that the polytechnic actually exist and performing the functioning it was established for.
“If it is an institution that is alive, there would be presence of security personnel, but there was absolutely nothing when we got there. We saw a very good edifice, but occupied by rats and lizards.
“In fact, we had to wait for hours before some few members of the management appeared to receive us.
“They claimed that the polytechnic has about 110 students and over 1000 staff, but there was no any document, report or nominal role to prove that the so-called staffs were properly recruited by the Federal Government.”
He said that the federal government was appropriating money to the polytechnic but no one knows where the monies are going.
“We will start sitting on the budget in the next two weeks. Until we are sure of the true status of the institution, no money will be appropriated to the school, “he said.
He explained that objective of the oversight visit was to share ideas particularly with the challenges affecting the technical education system and advice where necessary on ways to strengthen the system.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the board, Dr. Mas’udu Kazaure said that the board has written several reports to alert the government that the institution was not performing the function for which it was established.
Kazaure added that the polytechnic was not accessible by air or by road except through water and complicated by security challenges in the area.
“In fact I have even advised that the polytechnic be converted to a Navy institution, “he said.
