Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof Tunji Olaopa, has called for the phasing out of Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes offered by polytechnics in Nigeria

At a dialogue organised by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in Abuja, Olaopa proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the educational system to address the professional conflict between B.Sc./B.Tech. and HND holders.

Referencing a 2007 memorandum from the Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COHEADS), Olaopa suggested converting polytechnics into campuses of nearby universities, with major polytechnics evolving into full-fledged universities of technology.

Central to his proposal is the abolition of HND qualifications while retaining National Diplomas (NDs) as entry requirement for the restructured university and technology school system.

He envisioned establishing two distinct streams of B.Sc. (Technology) and B.Tech., with B.Tech. programmes focusing on practical skills development tailored to meet industry demands.

Olaopa commended institutions like the First Technical University, Ibadan, for pioneering this model and stressed the importance of rigorous curriculum redesign and faculty development to support the transition.

He also suggested expanding the ND programme to accommodate vocational training, incorporating elements of the City and Guild certification for enhanced practical skill acquisition.

„In so doing – and this for me is the game-changer – HND should be scrapped, while the National Diploma (ND) should be retained as a qualifying certificate for entrance into the new and old universities of technology and schools of technology affiliates of existing universities,“ Olaopa said.

He added, „The design should create two streams of B.Sc. (Technology) and B.Tech., with B.Tech. designed to focus on inculcating technical skills and competencies across the middle to the very high levels of jobs and careers, a model which the First Technical University, Ibadan (on whose Governing Council I was one of the pioneer members) is attempting to pioneer.“

Olaopa said the curricula and pedagogical remodelling of the OND-B.Tech certification will involve training for demand-driven end users’ skills, with faculty drawn significantly from scholars-practitioners and professors of practice—practically oriented lecturers with strong backgrounds in theory and research.

He proposed expanding the National Diploma (ND) to fill the space for technical and vocational training programmes, embedding the City and Guild certification to reinforce practical skill acquisition.

He emphasised the need for aggressive staff development, facilities upgrade, and increased funding to support these changes.

Inspired by the German dual vocational training model, Olaopa proposed a hybrid approach integrating theoretical knowledge with practical experience, with costs shared between the government and the business sector.

Expressing skepticism about past initiatives to address the B.Sc./HND dichotomy, Olaopa urged caution in implementing reforms that could undermine the distinct educational objectives of polytechnics and universities.

He emphasized the need to preserve the unique roles of polytechnics and universities while exploring avenues for collaboration.

In conclusion, Olaopa‘s proposal advocates for a holistic restructuring of Nigeria‘s higher education system to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical skills acquisition.

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has taken his investment drive to Vienna, Austria, where he held high level meetings with senior government officials, the business community and international development partners and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, towards the development of the state.

Mbah, who seeks to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn in four to eight years through private sector investment and strategic partnerships, met with the Austrian Minister of Interior,Gehard Karner; Minister of Labour and Commerce, Dr. Martin Kocher; Minister of Agriculture, Norbert Totschnig; Managing Director of the Austrian Promotional Bank, Bernhard Sagmeister; Director General of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, ICMPD, Michael Spindelegge; parliamentarians, among others, who expressed readiness to collaborate with the Enugu State government for the mutual benefits of both parties.

At the meeting with Austria’s Minister of Interior, Karner, Mbah and his host agreed to partner across various sectors with opportunities in Nigeria for Austrian SMEs.

As a way of kickstarting a fruitful relationship, Mbah and Karner signed an MOU on behalf of their respective governments for the establishment of a K-9 training unit in Enugu to boost security and crime detection.

Mbah’s meeting with the Austrian Minister of Agriculture, Totschnig, dwelt on the implementation of an agricultural model region, measuring about 2,000 to 5,000 hectares, and replicating the Austrian Cooperative success story in Enugu State.

Meeting with the Austrian Minister of Labour and Commerce, Dr. Kocher, the Enugu State governor said his administration expressed readiness to help expand collaboration between Austrian and Nigerian businesses, especially in the areas of agriculture, hydro power, work and knowledge in semiconductors, possibly leveraging the already existing Austrian business presence at the European Business Park, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.

“Enugu is open for business. We are your trusted partner for business in Nigeria and a stepping stone to Austrian businesses looking for a foothold in Africa,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MD of the Austrian Promotional Bank, AWS, Sagmeister, said the bank was already supporting some Austrian businesses investing in Enugu State.

Mr. Sagmeister said the Austrian Promotional Bank was interested in exploring more opportunities to provide guarantees, including guarantees for credits from Nigerian banks, for Austrian businesses investing in Nigeria and equally assist the Enugu State Government to design creative approaches to procuring foreign funding.

Governor Mbah also toured the Spittelau waste incineration plant, which handles 250,000 tons of municipal refuse annually and generates a large proportion of electricity for powering the city of Vienna.

Meanwhile, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce has invited the Enugu State Government to the next Africa Day in Vienna where the state would boost its chances of investment by meeting with over 300 Austrian businesses with interest in overseas investment and opportunities.

The Head of International Relationships at the Chamber of Commerce, Michael Otter, said the Chamber was ready to work with Governor Mbah for the mutual benefits of Enugu State and Austria.

Source : Jornalist101

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, says African leaders have not done enough to give the youths the voice they need to play significant roles in continental politics, despite making up about 75% of continent’s population.

Governor Otti stated this at the weekend in the United Kingdom, at the Cambridge Africa Business Conference, hosted by the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, where he featured on the fireside chat which focused on the topic, ‘Africa Together – Public/Private Partnerships’.

Responding to a question on the role he would want to have African Youths play in politics and the measures that should be taken to encourage them, Governor Otti said that the youths have been largely excluded because politics in Africa focuses on the wrong narratives of where one comes from, the faith they profess and the language they speak, instead of what they can offer.

Sadly, the Governor said, the youths have aided the conspiracy to undermine their importance in politics by acquiescing to the inanities.

According to him, “Seventy percent of our population (0-35 years) are youths; if you add 40 (year olds), you are looking at 75 to 80%.

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“The Youths are excluded when we are talking about politics. Our politics focuses on the wrong narratives of tribe, religion, language, instead of demographics and what a person can offer.

“We have not done so much in giving the young people the voice they need and they have bought the garbage that what is important is religion, tribe and language, instead of demographics and what a person can offer,” Governor Otti said.

The Governor elaborated that in the whole of Africa, only about three countries: Senegal, Ethiopia and Malawi, that their presidents are under 49 years old, stating that political education is important to change the narratives.

He told his audience that due to the importance he placed on education, his administration allocated 20% of the State’s 2024 Budget to education and has embarked on the remodelling and retrofitting of 173 primary schools and 54 secondary schools across the State to provide functional and quality education to the people.

On how the Central Bank of Nigeria’s digital currency product would create the enabling environment for small and medium scale businesses (SMEs) to thrive, Governor Otti said his administration would embrace it when implemented. In the meantime, however, he disclosed that his government was working to make available N10 billion funding with very low interest rate, for SME loans. Already, he said, N1 billion is currently being disbursed at zero interest to small businesses in the grassroots through the cooperatives programme, a scheme he initiated while on the campaign for the governorship of Abia.

The Governor announced that he had received requests from some companies which had left Aba, Abia’s commercial capital, because of deplorable conditions of infrastructure in the city, especially roads, and now want to come back. This renewed interest, according to him, is as a result of the recent award and flag-off of the reconstruction of the Osisioma-Ekeakpara industrial road, a critical corridor in Aba’s manufacturing layout. He further disclosed that his administration is working towards establishing another industrial layout around the Umuikaa axis in the Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the State.

Governor Otti refused to be drawn into self-adulation and comparing Abia with other states in Nigeria, saying that different states have different challenges and priorities. He however explained that the Modest visible achievements of his administration in the last 11 months have been due to the fact that his government had been focusing on what is important to the people and doing simple things in different ways.

While responding to questions on the sectors that would most likely attract investments in Africa, Governor Otti said it was important to create objective conditions. In his words, “Capital will go to a place where it will make returns. Capital is so sensitive that it has so much information about you, even more than you know. Do the homework, create the enabling environment for capital to find you, secure and make your environment attractive to capital.”

He pointed to Information Communication Technology (ICT) through the building of innovation hubs and industrial parks for software engineers; robotics, and 3D printing; mechanised agriculture with value chain where our people will sell processed foods; manufacturing, as sectors that his administration is already paying so much attention and doing a lot to make viable in the State. He also emphasised the importance of encouraging the workforce by paying them regularly and promptly to ensure that they have money in their hands to participate in the economy.

“If People don’t have money in their hands they can’t participate in the economy. It makes more sense to put money in the hands of those who will use the money locally, not those who will transfer them abroad,” Governor Otti explained.

He also explained that for production to take place there must be someone willing to buy but people can only buy when they have money in their hands.

KAZIE UKO
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Abia State
Government House, Umuahia
May 20, 2024.