The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa State, to submit its detailed financial reports for projects executed in 2022 and 2023.
The Committee, chaired by Rep. Faud Laguda, issued this order following the management’s failure to provide the necessary documents during an oversight visit.
Additionally, the Committee requested the submission of the Polytechnic’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performance for 2022 to 2023.
Rep. Laguda, after reviewing the report on the projects undertaken by the management, expressed dissatisfaction with the Committee’s findings, describing them as unacceptable to Parliament.
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He stated, “To be honest, we are giving you 7 days to provide detailed and accurate reports. Submit your IGR performance for 2022 to 2023 and provide us with audited accounts.”
Earlier, Baba Yahaya, Director of Procurement at the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, presented a summary of the approved projects and their level of completion.
Among the projects are a lecture theatre with a capacity of about 750,000, which has been under construction since 2007, a new institutional gate, and erosion control measures in certain areas.
While answering questions from the Committee during an inspection of the incomplete lecture theatre site, Mr. Yahaya revealed that four different contractors had worked on the project before it was awarded in 2013.
Only the first phase has been completed since then, with the project costing N60 million annually.
In response, the committee advised the institution to seek assistance from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to expedite the completion of the lecture theatre, as government focus is increasingly shifting from traditional classroom instruction to skills acquisition.
When further questioned by the Committee, the Bursar of the Institution, Mohammed Hassan, revealed that in 2023, the institution generated N1.4 billion in IGR.
He explained that 75% of the IGR goes to the Federal Government, as it is deposited in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account in compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) initiative.
Earlier, Acting Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, Dr. Hauwa Mohammed, commended the House Committee for its oversight and highlighted the institution’s developmental achievements and funding constraints.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE