Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna has argued that vocational and technical education has been neglected.
Haruna, who is also an engineer, however, said technical and vocational education sector must get the government’s attention if Nigeria must attain technological growth.
The NASENI boss stated this in Kaduna while inaugurating a lecture theatre named after him by the Kaduna Polytechnic Management at the College of Business and Management Studies Campus of the Institution.
He lamented that many of the technical and craft schools that existed before have been wiped out, a situation, which, he noted, was not healthy for a nation striving to develop technologically.
According to him, “As for technical and vocational education, this is a neglected sector. Many of the technical and craft schools that existed before have been wiped out and until we restore them, we will not have foundation.
“It is not everybody that needs to go to university. You need these technical education, you need skills to be able to do things and theory without practical cannot take us to the promised land.”
Haruna added that the level of research and development activities in Nigeria were just commencing because the Buhari’s administration has paid due attention to the development of science technology sector by putting more funds in infrastructure and training capacity to enable qualified experts to do researches.
He said the Buhari administration has given more funding and also created so many research funding windows from CBN, Ecological fund and TETFund among others.
He thanked the management of the polytechnic for finding him worthy of the recognition by naming the Lecture Theatre after him.
National President of Alumni Association of Kaduna Polytechnic Abba Anas Adamu said it was the first time the institution celebrated one of its alumni, saying Haruna’s contribution in Science Education field led to his recognition.
He also added that the celebrator deserved the recognition for his contribution to the growth of the alumni and the institution.
