Reps Fume As Rectors Shun 2026 Budget Defence

The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and Other Higher Technical Education, has expressed displeasure over the poor turnout of Rectors at the 2026 budget defence.

The panel which made its feelings known at a session organised for the exercise over the weekend, described the development as disappointing and unacceptable.

The committee’s chairman, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda faulted the absence of 10 Rectors out of the 14 Federal Polytechnics invited to appear before the committee for the session.

Laguda said, out of the 36 Federal Polytechnics across the country, only 22 had submitted their budget reports as at the time of the exercise — a situation he described as worrisome and indicative of weak institutional compliance with legislative oversight requirements.

He noted that even among the 14 invited institutions that had submitted reports, only four were represented at the session.

Those present were the Rectors of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa and Federal Polytechnic Idah, Kogi state, as well as the Bursars of Federal Polytechnic Bauchi and Federal Polytechnic Bali, Taraba state.

Laguda said several of the absent Rectors cited the forthcoming FCT election and the restriction of vehicular movement from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as reasons for their inability to attend but insisted that such explanations were inadequate given the importance of the budget defence process.

“We invited 14 polytechnics here today; only four showed up. While some have cited the election taking place tomorrow in the FCT and the restriction on movement of vehicles from 8 p.m. till 6 a.m. as reasons, we believe institutions of this magnitude ought to plan better. These are national assignments, and attendance should not be treated lightly,” he stated.

Laguda emphasized that budget defence is a critical component of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective utilization of public funds. He warned that failure to honour such invitations undermines the seriousness of governance and institutional responsibility.

Briefing journalists after the session, the chairman announced that the committee had no option but to adjourn the exercise to a later date due to the poor attendance.

“Due to logistics and administrative lapses, we will not be able to proceed with the four federal polytechnics present today — Nasarawa, Idah, Bauchi and Bali.

“We are adjourning and postponing their appearance until a new date when we expect a fuller house. We hope that by then, all polytechnics would have complied with our request and will be present for proper engagement,” he added.

Meanwhile, the committee received and adopted the report presented by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris Bugaje, as a working document to guide further deliberations.

Laguda urged Rectors to sit up and demonstrate greater commitment to institutional development and accountability, stressing that the committee’s oversight actions should not be misconstrued as punitive or adversarial.

“The House is not out to witch-hunt anyone. Our responsibility is to strengthen these institutions and ensure they are positioned to deliver on their mandate. Oversight is about improvement, not intimidation,” he said.

The chairman underscored the urgent need for Nigeria’s polytechnic system to reclaim its pride of place as a hub for technical innovation, vocational excellence, and manpower development.

According to him, the country cannot achieve meaningful industrialization, job creation, and economic diversification without a vibrant and properly managed technical education sector.

Laguda urged Rectors to refocus their leadership priorities toward restoring polytechnics to their “glory days,” when they were widely respected for producing highly skilled, technically competent, and industry-ready graduates.

“Our polytechnics must be repositioned to churn out employable graduates who can compete globally and meet the technological and industrial needs of Nigeria. Leadership at that level must reflect seriousness, planning, and strategic direction,” he said.

End.