The National Board for Technical Education has reaffirmed its determination to clamp down on illegal institutions posing as polytechnics across Nigeria, while unveiling a major partnership aimed at repositioning the sector for innovation and research-driven growth.
During an accreditation visit to Harvarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies, Abeokuta, Ogun State, the NBTE Director of Polytechnic and Allied Programmes, Dr. Fatimah Kabir Umar, stressed that the board would intensify its battle against what she described as “mushroom entities.”
“We have been fighting against mushroom entities calling themselves what they are not. We won’t stop fighting such establishments in the interest of safeguarding what is best for the nation,” Umar said.
She urged lecturers to embrace professional development and register with relevant professional bodies, commending Harvarde College for supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to expand access to quality tertiary education.
The Provost of the institution, Dr. Oluwatosin Adebayo, revealed that the NBTE’s resource inspection and accreditation covered eight courses, including film and multimedia production, journalism and media studies, accountancy, business administration, networking and cloud computing, software and web development, as well as institutional accreditation.
Meanwhile, in Kaduna, the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, announced a landmark collaboration with a United States-based research and training firm, MOC-LLC. The partnership, he explained, would introduce Applied Interdisciplinary Engineering and Technology Research into Nigerian polytechnics, with a focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and open-source technologies.
According to Bugaje, the programme represents “a complete paradigm shift” for the polytechnic system.
“What we are witnessing is a complete paradigm shift. This programme has empowered our lecturers with skills in machine learning, symbolic computation, and applied research techniques that will transform not only classrooms but entire communities,” he stated.
He added that the board had already trained lecturers nationwide and would crown the efforts with its first international seminar and conference on applied interdisciplinary engineering and technology, scheduled for November 25–27 at the UBEC Digital Centre, Abuja.
NBTE’s Head of Linkages and Research, Dr. Zakari Abdullahi, described the partnership as “a game changer” for polytechnic education.
“For the first time, our lecturers now have the capacity to integrate cutting-edge research methods into teaching and learning. This will not only boost innovation in our institutions but will also translate into real-world solutions for national development,” Abdullahi noted.
A high-level NBTE delegation, including the Rector of Bayelsa State Polytechnic, Mr. Wisdom Clinton, had earlier visited MOC-LLC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, to deepen institutional ties.
MOC-LLC officials, in a statement, hailed the collaboration as “a model of servant scholarship” designed to position Nigerian lecturers at the forefront of Africa’s applied engineering research and innovation drive.
