Governor Sani Bello of Niger State

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has charged the federal and other tiers of government to invest more in polytechnic education if Nigeria’s hope of technological development would be achieved.

A statement by Hussaini Muhammad Enagi, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Polytechnic Bida, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria( NAN) in Minna on Tuesday.

Abubakar made the call while hosting members of the Governing Council of the Polytechnic, led by the Chairman, Prof. Muhammad Yahaya, at the Government House Minna.

According to him, “The place of polytechnic education in the scheme of a nation’s development can not be over-emphasised.

“The polytechnics produce graduates equipped with technical and technological skills that could drive the nation’s quest for development when given the opportunity.”

“These are the sets of youths we want who would be self-employed and not degree holders that would be job-seekers.

“I would, therefore, charge the Federal Government and other tiers to re-strategise our policies on education so that we place polytechnic education on our priority list, if we must surmount the nation’s socio-economic challenges.”

Bello decried the present situation where a great number of youths are becoming drug addicts and are becoming serious threat to our quest for development.

He said only the provision of technical and technological education to the youth would make them self-employed and remove the threat to the nation’s development.

Bello, therefore, called for better handing of the polytechnics by the government and other corporate organizations and well-meaning individuals.

Responding to the polytechnic’s earlier request for a waiver of over N800 million tax debt by the staff of the polytechnic, he said the debt could not be completely waived but assured the polytechnic that it would be drastically reduced.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Muhammad Yahaya, said that the visit was to congratulate the governor on his achievements in the state and to be formally introduced to the governor for courtesy purpose.

He said that the institution’s proposed School of Agricultural Engineering complex would be named after Governor Abubakar Bello.

The chairman disclosed that the governor would be invited to lay the foundation of the complex during the forthcoming 15th convocation of the institution slated for March, 2018.

Prof. Yahaya used the opportunity to seek the government’s assistance on provision of infrastructure such as lecture theatres and hostels.

He also reminded the governor to fulfill a N5 million pledge by his predecessor Dr. Mauzu Aliyu, to the polytechnic during the 2014 Nigeria Polytechnic Games (NIPOGA) hosted by the school.

The governor assured the polytechnic that all the requests by the polytechnic would be tabled before the State Executive Council Meeting for appropriate decisions.