NBTE dismisses fraud allegations against executive secretary

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has dismissed allegations of financial mismanagement against its Executive Secretary (ES), describing them as baseless and the work of disgruntled staff facing corruption investigations.

In a statement by Mrs. Fatima Abubakar, NBTE Head of the media init, office of the Executive Secretary, the board said the ES is not under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), contrary to claims in a recent online publication. It linked the allegations to Lawal Hafiz, a suspended director, and his associates, who had previously petitioned the board over accreditation funds.

The board explained that since its creation in 1977, accreditation had always been conducted through cash advances to staff, who paid for resource persons’ air tickets, honoraria, and other logistics before making retirements, which were then audited. It said the introduction of digital accreditation in early 2024 eliminated the need for such payments, but a backlog of physical accreditations from as far back as 2021 had to be cleared.

Defending its spending, the board cited Ramat Polytechnic, which hosted 101 resource persons last year. “Paying ₦30 million for 100 persons reduces it to an average of ₦300,000 per resource person, which is not outrageous going by the cost of air tickets,” it said.

The board also clarified that institutions paid additional charges beyond the cash advances given to finance officers. 

“Whatever institutions pay, there are other components that are not cash-advanced, such as copies of curricula, NBTE journals, service charges, and inspectorate surcharges. For that reason, the amount paid by institutions is always higher than the cash advance to finance officers for resource persons. There was no violation of financial regulations.its Commission (CAC) and operates legally to generate revenue for the board,” It said.

The board also dismissed claims that the ES sold off luxury vehicles. 

“NBTE had no ‘luxury cars’ to sell,” it said. 

“What the ES inherited when he took office in 2021 were a bunch of accident vehicles and a Toyota Hilux as an official car. He had to borrow a car from Kaduna Polytechnic until the year ended, when he managed to buy 12 brand new vehicles from our capital budget.”

NBTE however, accused Hafiz and his associates of running a media smear campaign after their petitions failed. “The campaign of calumny by Lawal Hafiz and his band has been going on for about a year now using various print and online media, having exhausted his petitioning campaign,” the statement said.

The board vowed to remain focused on transparency, accountability, and the use of technology to enhance technical and vocational education (TVET).

“The board shall not be diverted, shall remain focused, and shall not relent in ensuring transparency in our operations, the deployment of technology to minimize human interface, and taking TVET to a new level of renewed hope for Nigerian youth,” it said.