Reps C’tee Fumes As 12 Out Of 14 Rectors Fail To Show Up For 2026 Budget Defence …Rectors Use FCT Election As An Excuse, C’tee Adjourns

By Alkassim Bala Tsakuwa, Abuja

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fouad Kayode Laguda and members have expressed their displeasure over the absence of 12 Polytechnic Rectors out of the 14 invited by the Committee for the scheduled 2026 budget defence session on Friday.

Only the Rectors of Federal Polytechnic Nassarawa and Federal Polytechnic Idah Kogi State appeared before the Committee which angered its Chairman and members.

Speaking, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Laguda lamented that, despite being invited, the Rectors failed to show up by bringing the FCT local government election holding on Saturday as an excuse.

He said, “We invited 14 polytechnics here today only two show up. However, they came up with excuses and the election that will be happening tomorrow in FCT. And for the non… Movement of vehicles that’s being declared from 8 p.m. till 6 p.m. tomorrow, which would hinder their return to base, we guess is just an unforeseen circumstances that has made them not to be here today. So we hope that they’ve had a good excuse to lay back on today. We hope that when we re-adjourn and we convene, we’ll have a fuller house”.

Briefing journalists, the Committee Chairman said that, the absence of the Rectors forced the Committee to adjourn to a later date despite the appearance of the two Rectors and the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Professor Idris Muhammad Bugaje.

Hon. Laguda said, “Due to logistics and administrative mishap, we won’t be able to take the two present federal polytechnic with us, Nasarawa and Idah, today. We’ll be adjourning, we’ll be postponing their appearance with us and we hope that by the next date we’ll give them, we’ll be able to take more of the polytechnics and we’ll have had a fuller house and probably all polytechnics would have complied with our request and they will be present with us.

“However, we would still want to take them with us. We want to note and resound that our displeasure at the attitude of the federal polytechnic with us.

“On this note, we say thank you to NBTE. Your report has been adopted as a working tool. And I’m sure all of the requested documents that have been asked for will be given so that we can pass”