Committee To Transform Engineering, Technology Education Inaugurated

Federal government has taken a step towards repositioning engineering and technology education with the inauguration of a Ministerial Monitoring, Evaluation and Implementation Committee for a special high-impact intervention project.

The intervention, implemented in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is designed to ensure that universities become centres of hands-on training, applied research, innovation and problem-solving, rather than remaining largely theoretical.

The committee is headed by the president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Ali Rabiu, amongst other scholars.

At the inauguration of the committee in Abuja yesterday, the minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the committee marked a critical milestone in the government’s deliberate and strategic efforts to rebuild engineering and technology education as a driver of industrialisation, innovation and sustainable national development.

Alausa said a wide gap had existed between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates, limiting employability, weakening industrial confidence and constraining Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global technology space.

“For too long, concerns have been raised about the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates.

“These gaps have limited graduate employability, weakened industrial confidence, and constrained Nigeria’s ability to compete in a fast-evolving global technology landscape.

“This TETFund Special Impact Intervention Project has therefore been deliberately designed to address these gaps through modern workshops, advanced laboratories, cutting-edge equipment and industrial-relevant training environments capable of producing graduates who can design, fabricate, test, innovate and industrialise solutions,” he said.

He added that the intervention was separate from other allocations captured under TETFund’s 2026 spending guidelines, which include about N20 billion earmarked for upgrading engineering workshops in selected universities.

The minister listed institutions selected for the first tranche of the intervention as Federal Universities of Technology across the geopolitical zones, such as those in Akure, Owerri, Minna, among others, as well as selected conventional and state universities.

Explaining the committee’s mandate, he said it would monitor the rehabilitation and equipping of engineering and technology workshops, ensure compliance with approved standards, recommend new workshop construction where necessary, and oversee the utilisation of funds in line with procurement laws and transparency principles.

The committee will also maintain digital project records, submit periodic reports and recommend sanctions for non-compliance.

Earlier, the minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said the intervention was strategic to Nigeria’s aspirations for industrialisation, innovation and sustainable economic growth.

She stressed that funding alone was not enough to guarantee impact, noting that effective implementation, strict adherence to standards, transparency and accountability were critical.

The executive secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, commended the initiative and acknowledged the role of the President and the National Assembly in mandating deliberate efforts to restore Nigerian universities to global competitiveness.

He expressed confidence that the committee, composed of seasoned professionals and technocrats, would help identify needs, specify priorities, monitor implementation and ensure prudent utilisation of allocated funds.