President deplores state of technology varsities

[Richard Akindele]

April 11, 2006, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 41 seconds ago.

By AND Nigeria

PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo is unhappy with the state and achievements of universities of technology in Nigeria.


Expressing his concern over the state of the institutions, Obasanjo said at the weekend in Birni Kebbi, capital of Kebbi State, that the universities of technology in the country were only universities in name.

He said that the Federal Government has concluded plans to take over the Kebbi State Polytechnic.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the President made the announcement during an interactive session with a cross-section of the people in the course of his three-day visit to the state.

Obasanjo said Kebbi was one of the five states of the federation that did not have any federal tertiary institution of learning.

"But my administration is now making efforts to redress the situation," he said.

Citing a research conducted in 1977, Obasanjo said that setting up a university of technology would require four times what was needed to establish a conventional university.

He explained that ideally, a university of technology should be able to fabricate tools and engage in research that would boost technology development.

"My own ambition for the country is not for us to manufacture Boeing 747 but to produce cars, tractors and lorries that we need," he said.

Obasanjo said that the Federal Government would make about N50 billion available for farmers at eight per cent interest with the Central Bank of Nigeria shouldering three per cent of the interest due.

He commended the Kebbi government for its involvement in agriculture, saying the Federal Government would collaborate with the state to boost irrigation.

Source Guardian Newspaper