By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has expressed commitment to ensure accountability in the running of Federal Polytechnics and other institutions under its purview.
Chairman, House Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda, stated this while addressing journalists after an oversight function meeting with five Polytechnics from the South East in Abuja.
According to Rep. Laguda, the polytechnics and other higher institutions that offer technical learning are crucial to the development of the country.
He added that it was for this reason, the Committee takes the budget performance of the institutions very seriously.
He said: “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”.
The chairman said thought the Committee held some of the oversight at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, it will still visits the institutions due to some of the budget lines they presented with regard expenditures.
He said there was need to verify the things the schools said they had done, especially as some provided picture evidence while others did not
“The ones we were not too convinced about, we’ve already noted 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.
“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 could 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 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”, Rep. Laguda added.
The following schools had failed to appear before the Committee earlier last week, they are Federal Polytechnic, Akanu Ibiam; Federal Polytechnic Nekede; Federal Polytechnic Ohodo; Federal Polytechnic Isuochi and Federal Polytechnic Oko.