A bill for an Act to amend the Federal Polytechnics Act, Laws of 2004, to, among other things, review the functions of polytechnics, has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill would also grant polytechnics the power to award Bachelor of Technology, B.Tech, Honours degrees.
Leading the debate on the bill at the plenary on Tuesday, the sponsor, Hon. Faud Laguda, said the bill seeks to review and enlarge the membership of the Council by including representatives of technical institutional bodies like the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN.
It also aims to expand the scope of functions of federal polytechnics in Nigeria with a clearer and more result-oriented administrative structure.
He added that the bill seeks to amend the Principal Act to align with the demands of the ever-changing world while adhering to international best practices.
Laguda noted that Clause 2 of the bill proposes an amendment to Section 3 of the Principal Act to include representatives of the NBTE and MAN in the Council of every polytechnic in Nigeria.
He explained that Clause 3 is an amendment to Section 8, which seeks to raise the qualifications required for individuals seeking to occupy the position of Rector of federal polytechnics in Nigeria.
The lawmaker stressed that Clause 4 is an amendment to Section 15 of the Principal Act, which seeks to expand the powers of the Academic Board to, among other things, award Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) Honours degrees.
He emphasized that the objective is to improve the provision of technical education for Nigerian students through a better-organized polytechnic system.