According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) has urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to establish a polytechnic in Abuja in order to enhance technical education in the territory.
The Chairman of NATE, FCT Branch, Mr Jubril Kadri, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.
Jibril, who rued the absence of government-owned polytechnics in the FCT, noted that the existing private polytechnics lacked the capacity to provide the necessary equipment to enhance engineering study.
He said that technical education requires huge and consistent funding for procurement of mechanical equipment, hence the call on government for allocation of sufficient resources to the sector.
The NATE chairman, however, stated that the association would soon “commence discussions with the National Assembly and the FCT Minister on the matter.’’
He said the talks would encourage the FCTA to put necessary infrastructure on ground towards establishing a polytechnic in the territory.
Kadri said that NATE was organising awareness campaigns to enlighten polytechnic students on how to sustain their interest in making career in the engineering profession.
According to him, many potential technical students will rather wait for years at home to gain admission into universities than attending polytechnics because of the HND/Degree dichotomy.