The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education has urged the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria to deepen partnerships with public institutions and private-sector organisations to strengthen its operations and reduce dependence on government funding.
The committee’s chairman, Fuad Laguda, gave the advice on Wednesday during an oversight visit to the council’s headquarters in Abuja, expressing concern that limited funding could constrain the agency’s ability to discharge its regulatory responsibilities.
Laguda urged the Registrar and Chief Executive of CPN, Adebayo Adegbiji, to explore legitimate alternative sources of revenue to support the council’s activities.
“You have to go into more synergy and private partnerships. Depending solely on government funding will not be enough,” he said.
The committee acknowledged efforts by Adegbiji, who assumed office in December 2025, to raise the council’s profile, promote global information technology standards and curb quackery in Nigeria’s information and communications technology sector.
However, Laguda said the council needed a sustainable funding strategy to match the scale of its mandate.
Earlier, Adegbiji told the committee that a previous government policy had removed regulatory councils from the list of agencies eligible for government funding, leaving CPN in a difficult financial position.
He said the council’s funding was restored through the 2026 Appropriation Act under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to him, the restoration had improved the council’s capacity to carry out its statutory functions and engage more effectively with government institutions.
“Our feasibility index has increased, and our engagement with various government agencies has also increased and improved,” Adegbiji said.
He listed the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Bureau of Public Procurement, Nigerian Communications Commission, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, National Board for Technical Education, Office of the National Security Adviser and National Information Technology Development Agency among the institutions working with CPN on technology-related programmes.
The registrar said such engagements had expanded the council’s involvement in technology components of public-sector operations.
The committee also directed CPN to submit detailed records of its internally generated revenue, insurance coverage and other major expenditures to its secretariat for scrutiny.
Laguda assured the council that the committee would continue to monitor its activities through regular oversight visits and support efforts to improve its performance.
“We will always carry out oversight functions on you from time to time,” he said.
Adegbiji also commended the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, for approving the development of 10 additional National Occupational Standards for information and communications technology under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
The standards are intended to expand the range of ICT skills available to Nigerians under the national skills qualification initiative.
The CPN is responsible for regulating the training and practice of computer professionals in Nigeria. Its mandate includes setting professional standards and helping to ensure that practitioners meet the requirements for registration and professional practice.
The committee’s intervention comes amid growing demand for digital skills and stronger professional oversight as public institutions and private businesses increasingly rely on technology to deliver services.
Adequate funding, stronger institutional partnerships and effective regulation are therefore central to the council’s ability to promote professional standards and address the practice of ICT-related activities by unqualified persons.