We may not appropriate for Ekowe Fedpoly in 2018 budget – C’ttee

 

By Usman Ibn A. Lapai

Kaduna

House of representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services says Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State may not be appropriated for in the 2018 budget, due to uncertainty surrounding its existence.
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).
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.
He said: “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.”
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the board, Dr. Mas’udu Kazaure, said the board had written several reports to alert the government that the institution was not performing the function for which it was established.
“In fact, I have even advised that the polytechnic be converted to a Navy institution, “he said.

 

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