By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA: The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, has called for increased budgetary allocation to enable the board recruit more personnel to supervise the activities of the nation’s 700 polytechnics and other institutions across the country.

He explained that operations of the board are being hampered by inadequate manpower to carry out its mandate hence the need to have more staff to do the job.

Speaking during  the 2025 budget defence session held by the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, he appealed to the National Assembly to rescue the board from its current challenges occasioned by underfunding.

Bugaje, while presenting an overview of the board’s 2024 budget performance and the 2025 proposed estimates, said: “For personnel, we are looking for an improvement because we have about 700 institutions to visit and our staff strength is at 330, which is very low.

“Our personnel cost is very low, so we want that one to be increased so that we can inject more hands, ” he added.

Speaking on the board’s internally generated revenue, Bugaje said that the whole money generated in the outgone year stood at N25 million, noting that the amount was very low.

He said about 200 programmes also needed to be increased just as he said contemporary ones would be introduced.

Speaking, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, while noting that performance was key to progress, insisted that it should be used to justify demands for more funds by agencies in 2025.

He noted that there was need for government agencies to judiciously utilize resources available to them before asking for more, as their performance should determine why more resources should be allocated to them.

He said, “Performance is very key. And that is what will help us move forward in 2025. It is an acceptable and known fact that polytechnics are poorly funded. We know. But we need to justify our need for more and show why we need more. To be honest with ourselves, have we been able to do that? That is what we should answer.

“And if we speak with each other truthfully, we know we are not doing good in that aspect. Not all of us, but most of us are not doing good in that aspect. The whole essence of this committee is to bring out the best in us. And to put corrective measures where it is needed”.