The National Board for Technical Education has vowed to sustain its crackdown on mushroom institutions parading as polytechnics.
This comes as the board announced a landmark collaboration with MOC-LLC, a United States-based research and training body, to introduce Applied Interdisciplinary Engineering and Technology Research into Nigerian polytechnics.
This, it said, would bring fresh initiatives to transform the sector into a hub of innovation, research, and job creation.
During an accreditation visit to Harvarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the NBTE Director of Polytechnic and Allied Programmes, Dr Fatimah Kabir Umar, said the agency would not relent in its fight against unaccredited entities undermining the government’s commitment to quality education.
“We have been fighting against mushroom entities calling themselves what they are not… We won’t stop to fight such an establishment in the interest of safeguarding what is best for the nation.
“Yes, we know that there is no way we won’t have a few bad eggs around, but we shall continue to fight them and ensure that they do not stand in the way of the government’s commitment to the delivery of qualitative education at all levels,” Dr Umar said.
She urged the lecturers in the institution to engage in personal development and register with appropriate professional bodies.
The NBTE director lauded the management of the institution for complementing the Federal Government’s efforts to provide qualitative tertiary education for Nigerians.
The founder and Provost of the college, Dr Oluwatosin Adebayo, reiterated the commitment of the management to continuous investment that would place the school on a strong pedestal.
He said the NBTE visited for resource inspection and accreditation of about eight courses, including film and multimedia production, journalism and media studies, accountancy, business administration, networking and cloud computing, software and web development, and institutional accreditation.
In Kaduna, NBTE’s Executive Secretary, Prof Idris Bugaje, announced the landmark collaboration with MOC-LLC, adding that the initiative focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and open-source technologies.
He said the board had already trained lecturers nationwide and would culminate in its first international seminar and conference in Abuja in November.
According to Bugaje, the reforms marked “a complete paradigm shift” that would enable polytechnics to move from theory to practical solutions while equipping graduates to become job creators rather than job seekers.
The training programme, which began last year, is a direct response to the global rise of AI and the growing adoption of open-source LINUX platforms in both education and industry.
Bugaje described the collaboration as “a turning point for polytechnic education in Nigeria,” stressing that technology-driven innovation must underpin the country’s quest for industrialisation.
“What we are witnessing is a complete paradigm shift. This programme has empowered our lecturers with skills in machine learning, symbolic computation, and applied research techniques that will transform not only classrooms but entire communities.
“We are moving from theory to practice, from certificates to solutions,” Bugaje said.
NBTE’s Head of Linkages and Research, Dr Zakari Abdullahi, who coordinated the programme, called it “a game changer” for polytechnic education.
“For the first time, our lecturers now have the capacity to integrate cutting-edge research methods into teaching and learning.
“This will not only boost innovation in our institutions but will also translate into real-world solutions for national development,” he added.
A high-level NBTE delegation, including the Rector of Bayelsa State Polytechnic, Mr Wisdom Clinton, recently visited MOC-LLC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, to further cement institutional ties.
According to Abdullahi, the Atlanta team demonstrated exceptional commitment to supporting Nigerian lecturers through technical deployment, curriculum innovation, and research guidance.
The initiative, he said, would climax at the first NBTE International Seminar and Conference on Applied Interdisciplinary Engineering and Technology, scheduled for November 25 to 27, 2025, at the UBEC Digital Centre, Kado, Abuja.
Over 46 research groups are expected to present their work at the conference, showcasing how the NBTE-MOC training has transformed teaching, research, and innovation capacity across Nigerian polytechnics.
“The Abuja conference will be a landmark event. It will demonstrate the impact of this training on research output, knowledge sharing, and technology adoption in our polytechnics,” Bugaje added.
The MOC-LLC team expressed delight at the partnership’s success so far.
In a statement, its officials described the collaboration as “a model of servant scholarship” designed to ensure that Nigerian lecturers lead Africa’s innovation drive in applied engineering research.
