NASS to address challenge of funding facing YABATECH

The House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services says it will work with its Senate counterpart to address the challenge of funding facing Yaba College of Technology, (YABATECH), Lagos.

Mr Aminu Suleiman, the committee chairman, made the pledge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after the committee’s oversight visit to the college on Monday.

Suleiman said that addressing the funding inadequacy would enhance relative peace and conducive environment for teaching and learning in the college.

“There is inadequacy of funds facing this institution and the government needs to find a lasting solution to enable the college to contribute its quota to the development of technological education.

“As a member of the legislature empowered by the Constitution to make appropriations, we have taken note of those vital areas.

“We intend to go back and do the needful as much as possible for the benefit of this institution,’’ the committee chairman said.

He explained that the annual oversight visit was a Constitutional requirement that empowers the committee to meet with the chief executive of the Ministries, Departments and Parastatal agencies (MDAS).

Suleiman said that the visit had afforded the committee to listen to issues, attend to challenges and perspective, receive reports and make meaning out of such.

He commended the institution for sustaining the tempo and maintaining relative peace and harmony.

“I am happy to say that we have interacted with the management.

“We have received its financial report and other necessary issues relating to appropriations.

“Overall, it is the opinion of members of the committee that the institution has sustained the tempo that we have observed and established two to three years back,’’ Suleiman told NAN.

According to him, there is relative peace in the institution; teaching and learning are going on as expected.

“The challenges of infrastructure are being addressed within the provisions that we have made,’’ he said.