Chidimma Uchegbu
The Federal Government has inaugurated a Ministerial Monitoring, Evaluation and Implementation Committee to oversee a special high-impact intervention project aimed at repositioning engineering and technology education in Nigeria.
The project, implemented in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates.
The committee, headed by Engr. Ali Rabiu, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, will monitor the rehabilitation and equipping of engineering and technology workshops, ensure compliance with approved standards, and oversee the utilisation of funds.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the newly inaugurated committee marked a critical milestone in the Government’s deliberate and strategic efforts to rebuild engineering and technology education as a driver of industrialisation, innovation and sustainable national development.
Alausa said wide gap had existed between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates, limiting employability, weakening industrial confidence and constraining Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global technology space.
“For too long, concerns have been raised about the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence among engineering and technology graduates.
“These gaps have limited graduate employability, weakened industrial confidence, and constrained Nigeria’s ability to compete in a fast-evolving global technology landscape.
“This TETFund Special Impact Intervention Project has therefore been deliberately designed to address these gaps through modern workshops, advanced laboratories, cutting-edge equipment, and industrial-relevant training environments capable of producing graduates who can design, fabricate, test, innovate, and industrialize solutions,” he said.
The special high-impact intervention project, he said, would address these challenges through the provision of modern workshops, advanced laboratories, cutting-edge equipment and industry-relevant training environments capable of producing graduates who can design, fabricate, test, innovate and industrialise solutions.
He added that this intervention was separate from other allocations captured under TETFund’s 2026 spending guidelines, which include about N20 billion earmarked for upgrading engineering workshops in selected universities.
The minister listed institutions selected for the first tranche of the intervention, including Federal Universities of Technology across the geopolitical zones, such as those in Akure, Owerri, Minna amongst others, as well as selected conventional and state universities.
He noted that more institutions would be added as the year progressed, while others were benefiting from separate medical and science-based interventions.
Explaining the committee’s mandate, he said it would monitor the rehabilitation and equipping of engineering and technology workshops, ensure compliance with approved standards, recommend new workshop construction where necessary, and oversee the utilisation of funds in line with procurement laws and transparency principles.
The committee will also maintain digital project records, submit periodic reports and recommend sanctions for non-compliance.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said the intervention was strategic to Nigeria’s aspirations for industrialisation, innovation and sustainable economic growth.
She stressed that funding alone was not enough to guarantee impact, noting that effective implementation, strict adherence to standards, transparency and accountability were critical.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, commended the initiative and acknowledged the role of the President and the National Assembly in mandating deliberate efforts to restore Nigerian universities to global competitiveness.
“I have no doubt that this committee made up of eminent Nigerians, professionals and technocrats in their own rights will help us in identifying the needs, specify what needs to be done, monitoring the process of implementing these programs and ensuring that the funds allocated for this purpose are prudently and judiciously utilised.”
He expressed confidence that the committee, made up of seasoned professionals and technocrats, would help identify needs, specify priorities, monitor implementation and ensure prudent utilisation of allocated funds.
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