Buhari signs bill to amend Federal Polytechnic Act, extends tenure of rectors to 5 years

TRACKING>>- President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to a bill on the amendment of the Federal Polytechnic Act

– The new amendment seeks to harmonize the tenure of the Federal Polytechnics rectors, amongst others

– The new law also provides that each rector is expected to serve a single term of five years

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, June 18 assented to a bill on the amendment of the Federal Polytechnic Act.

According to Daily Trust, just like vice chancellors of universities, polytechnic rectors will now serve for five-year single tenures, as a result of the assent.

tracknews.ng gathers that the president’s aide on National Assembly (House) matters, Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub, said the new amendment seeks to harmonize the tenure of the federal polytechnics’ rectors, retirement age of the staff as well as the establishment of the governing council.

He said: “Membership of the council will be a five-man council and will be chaired by a chairman. The law also provides that such membership must be a reflection of the Federal Character.

“The new law also provides that each rector is expected to serve a single term of five years. This means that where anyone is currently appointed to serve for four years, it shall be extended to five years.”

Meanwhile, tracknews.ng previously reported that the federal government approved 20 additional private polytechnics, four colleges of health sciences and technology as well as 32 Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) to offer diploma and certificate courses.

The former minister of education, Adamu Adamu, while presenting the operational licenses to the beneficiary institutions, said the state of technical and vocational education in Nigeria required very urgent and decisive action to re-position it for Nigeria’s technological take off.