A former deputy governor of Kano State, Professor Ahmed Tijjani Abdullahi, has emerged the first chairman, Board of Trustees and Council of the newly established Nigeria Polytechnic Foundation (NIPOF).
Professor Abdullahi, also a former rector of Kaduna Polytechnic and former executive secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), during his speech at the inauguration of the council held at the NBTE headquarters on Thursday, said Nigerian polytechnics need re-equipment to meet their purpose.
While noting with dismay that, virtually all the polytechnics in the country were in dire need of support because they lack equipment and other facilities, he said the foundation would not be selective in its operations.
According to him, “Being the only foundation of its kind, we are going to provide for all polytechnics, be it state, federal and even private to uplift polytechnic education in the country. This is because technical education is key to the nation’s technological advancement.
Inaugurating the Council, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje said, the establishment of NIPOF was a strategic move towards addressing the critical challenges facing the Nigeria Polytechnic Institutions.
Professor Bugaje noted that, the world is rapidly evolving, and education must adapt to meet the needs of the 21st century, hence the establishment of NIPOF to initiate and revitalize Polytechnic education by fostering academic innovation, strengthening institutional capacity, promoting industry collaboration, and facilitating international partnerships and collaboration.
