Agency Report
Nigeria’s National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has warned professional and examination bodies to stop conducting or awarding National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates without authorisation.
NBTE Executive Secretary, Professor Idris Bugaje, issued the warning in a circular released on Thursday through the board’s Head of Media and Publicity, Fatima Abubakar.
Bugaje expressed concern over the activities of some organisations allegedly designing, conducting, and awarding ND and HND certificates in various disciplines, describing such acts as illegal and in violation of the NBTE Establishment Act.
“The NBTE remains the only body legally empowered under the Federal Government Decree No. 9 of 1977, amended by Act 16 of 1985, to approve, accredit, and regulate all programmes leading to the award of ND and HND certificates in Nigeria,” Abubakar said.
She added that only accredited Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions — including polytechnics, colleges of nursing, health, and agriculture — are authorised to run such programmes.
The board said it would take regulatory and legal action against any body found violating the law and urged stakeholders to ensure strict compliance with established technical education regulations.
In September, the NBTE reiterated its resolve to clamp down on unaccredited institutions falsely operating as polytechnics across the country.