The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has strongly refuted allegations of financial mismanagement against its Executive Secretary, insisting that no investigation has been launched against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In a statement signed by the Head of Media Unit, Fatima Abubakar, the Board described the report published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) on February 10, 2025, as a smear campaign orchestrated by some disgruntled staff members, including a suspended director, Lawal Hafiz.
According to the statement, Hafiz and his associates had filed multiple petitions in 2024, alleging the diversion of funds meant for accreditation exercises.
However, NBTE maintains that these allegations were addressed in official correspondence to the Minister of Education and other relevant government agencies.
The Board explained that before 2024, accreditation of institutions was conducted physically, requiring cash advances to staff for payments to resource persons, covering air tickets and honoraria.
However, in early 2024, a digital accreditation system was introduced to eliminate cash advances.
While the transition is ongoing, a temporary window for physical accreditation has been extended until March 2025 to allow institutions to upgrade their ICT infrastructure.
Addressing claims of financial irregularities, the NBTE defended its expenditure, citing the example of Ramat Polytechnic, which hosted 101 external resource persons last year.
