The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, has reaffirmed his dedication to ensuring transparency and accountability in the administration of institutions under the Committee’s oversight.

He said, “Polytechnics and other higher institutions offering technical education are pivotal to Nigeria’s development, a lawmaker has said.”

The lawmaker emphasized that this significance is why the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics closely monitors the budget performance of these institutions.

He made this known while addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, 27 November, after an oversight meeting with five polytechnics from the South-East region.

The Federal Polytechnic, Akanu Ibiam; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo; Federal Polytechnic, Isuochi; and Federal Polytechnic, Oko, failed to appear before the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education last week.

Speaking on the matter, the Committee Chairman expressed concern over the situation, emphasizing the need for closer scrutiny of the budget performance of polytechnics and other higher institutions.

“In recent times, I’ve come to realize the importance of taking a closer look at the budget performance of these polytechnics and higher institutions,” he stated.

He stated that although the Committee had conducted some oversight activities at the National Assembly, they still planned to pay physical visits to the institutions. This decision was influenced by certain budget lines presented, particularly regarding expenditures.

According to him, it was necessary to verify the claims made by the schools. While some institutions supported their submissions with photographic evidence, others failed to do so, raising the need for on-site verification.

Hon. Laguda remarked, “For the institutions we found less convincing, we have made a note to conduct physical inspections to see the situation firsthand and understand what is happening on the ground. We are also mindful of the security challenges in some of these areas.

“On one occasion, while heading to a school in the North-West, we had to travel with soldiers because there was an attack along the route. Such experiences underscore the pressing need for thorough oversight.”

He said, “We remain hopeful that circumstances will improve, enabling us to participate physically. Last week, an oversight meeting was scheduled with the five polytechnics in the South-East region. However, their representatives cited the security challenges in their areas as a key reason for their inability to attend.

According to him, “It is worth noting that their absence coincided with a sit-at-home order observed just a day prior. This significantly affected their ability to travel and participate.

“Nevertheless, we were able to make better arrangements moving forward. The polytechnics have since tendered their unreserved apologies for their absence and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring effective collaboration.”

“Today, we had the privilege of hosting all of them along with their management teams. Our oversight was highly productive, and we made significant progress.

During the session, we requested additional information from some of the institutions. As a follow-up, we have agreed to conduct physical visits to three out of the five schools at a later date.”

“By the grace of God, I am confident that by next Monday, we will have completed oversight on all 37 federal polytechnics in Nigeria.

Additionally, we are in the process of reviewing the reports submitted to us, and we have already completed most of them. During the oversight, we gathered supplementary information, which will be integrated into the final report. We are on track to finalize everything before the budget review, and I am pleased to report that we are nearly 80-90% through. We are fully prepared to present the new year’s budget with these insights.”

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, has reaffirmed his dedication to ensuring transparency and accountability in the administration of institutions under the Committee’s oversight.

He said, “Polytechnics and other higher institutions offering technical education are pivotal to Nigeria’s development, a lawmaker has said.”

The lawmaker emphasized that this significance is why the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics closely monitors the budget performance of these institutions.

He made this remark while addressing journalists in Abuja after an oversight meeting with five polytechnics from the South-East region.

The Federal Polytechnic, Akanu Ibiam; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo; Federal Polytechnic, Isuochi; and Federal Polytechnic, Oko, failed to appear before the House Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education last week.

Speaking on the matter, the Committee Chairman expressed concern over the situation, emphasizing the need for closer scrutiny of the budget performance of polytechnics and other higher institutions.

“In recent times, I’ve come to realize the importance of taking a closer look at the budget performance of these polytechnics and higher institutions,” he stated.

He stated that although the Committee had conducted some oversight activities at the National Assembly, they still planned to pay physical visits to the institutions. This decision was influenced by certain budget lines presented, particularly regarding expenditures.

According to him, it was necessary to verify the claims made by the schools. While some institutions supported their submissions with photographic evidence, others failed to do so, raising the need for on-site verification.

Hon. Laguda remarked, “For the institutions we found less convincing, we have made a note to conduct physical inspections to see the situation firsthand and understand what is happening on the ground. We are also mindful of the security challenges in some of these areas.

“On one occasion, while heading to a school in the North-West, we had to travel with soldiers because there was an attack along the route. Such experiences underscore the pressing need for thorough oversight.”

He said, “We remain hopeful that circumstances will improve, enabling us to participate physically. Last week, an oversight meeting was scheduled with the five polytechnics in the South-East region. However, their representatives cited the security challenges in their areas as a key reason for their inability to attend.

According to him, “It is worth noting that their absence coincided with a sit-at-home order observed just a day prior. This significantly affected their ability to travel and participate.

“Nevertheless, we were able to make better arrangements moving forward. The polytechnics have since tendered their unreserved apologies for their absence and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring effective collaboration.”

“Today, we had the privilege of hosting all of them along with their management teams. Our oversight was highly productive, and we made significant progress.

During the session, we requested additional information from some of the institutions. As a follow-up, we have agreed to conduct physical visits to three out of the five schools at a later date.”

“By the grace of God, I am confident that by next Monday, we will have completed oversight on all 37 federal polytechnics in Nigeria.

Additionally, we are in the process of reviewing the reports submitted to us, and we have already completed most of them. During the oversight, we gathered supplementary information, which will be integrated into the final report. We are on track to finalize everything before the budget review, and I am pleased to report that we are nearly 80-90% through. We are fully prepared to present the new year’s budget with these insights.”