The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnic and Other Higher Technical Education, has said it is set to carry out a physical oversight function to polytechnics across the country.
Chairman of the committee, Faud Laguda disclosed this after a meeting with the management of five polytechnics from the South East geopolitical zone.
The schools are the Federal Polytechnic, Akanu Ibiam; Federal Polytechnic Nekede; Federal Polytechnic Ohodo; Federal Polytechnic Isuochi and Federal Polytechnic Oko.
He informed that despite having some of the oversight at the National Assembly, the committee will still pay physical visits to the institutions due to some of the budget lines they presented, especially expenditures.
He said there was need to verify the things the schools said they had done as some provided picture evidence while others did not
“The ones we were not too convinced about, we’ve already noted to them that we’ll be paying physical visits to them to see things ourselves to what is going on there. Of course, we know some of these areas due to the security situation”.
The lawmaker said it was for this reason, the committee takes the budget performance of the institutions very seriously.
The schools had failed to appear before the committee earlier last week.
“Well, I think in recent times I’ve come to terms that a closer look needs to be given to the budget performance of these polytechnic and higher institutions.
“There was a time when one of the schools in the north-west that we were going to, there were also soldiers coming to them. There was an attack on the way.
“So, we hope things get better and we will be able to be there physically. We have five polytechnics in the south-east and they were invited last week for oversight. One of the reasons stated by them was also due to the security situations in their places. Because it was just a day after a day of sit-at-home.
“So, that was one of the reasons they gave for not being here last week, but I think we were able to plan ourselves better. They also tendered their unreserved apology for not being able to make it last week.
“And they were here today. All of them were here with their management team. We had our oversight to a great extent. They were successful.
“We requested from some of them to give us additional information. Technically, three out of the five schools we’ve agreed that we would have to pay physical visits to them later.
“By the grace of God, as it is right now, I’m sure by next week, Monday, we will have finished oversight on all the 37 federal polytechnics in Nigeria.
“And we also have our in-house review to do on the reports they’ve sent to us, which we’ve finished most of them. In the course of doing the oversight, we got additional information. I’m sure before the budget, we’ll have been able to marry all these things together. We’re almost 80-90% done through, so we’re ready to have the New Year budget with them”.
