Federal Poly Alumni, Private Polytechnics renew call to end HND–Degree divide – Reports

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The Alumni Association of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, has urged the government to abolish the lingering dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and bachelor’s degree holders, stressing that doing so would advance skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

Publicity Secretary of the association, Busayo Adeyemi, said the discrimination continues to rob polytechnic graduates of equal chances in employment and career advancement.

“Ending this divide is urgent. The world of work today values skills, innovation, and problem-solving over certificate titles. Nigeria cannot industrialise while sidelining its own technically skilled workforce,” Adeyemi stated.

He added: “The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, and others nationwide deserve to be celebrated, not diminished. Their graduates are innovators, entrepreneurs, and professionals who should stand shoulder to shoulder with their university counterparts.

Adeyemi highlighted that polytechnics have consistently produced graduates of great value to both Nigeria and the global community. “Since its establishment in 1977, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, has become one of the country’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning, producing graduates who excel in engineering, sciences, business, and technology. Many of them have gone on to thrive, not only in Nigeria but also in advanced economies abroad where their qualifications face no such discrimination,” he said.

He questioned why the country still relegates HND holders despite their competence and track record, attributing the problem to outdated policies and prejudice. “It is time to enforce equity, scrap the dichotomy and let Nigeria’s progress be driven by talent and not by labels,” Adeyemi stressed.

Similarly, the Association of Private Polytechnics in Nigeria has joined the call on President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a bill that would permanently abolish the dichotomy. Its president, Dr. Benjamin Achiatar, noted that while the National Council on Establishment had technically removed the discrimination, enforcement remained weak.

“The bill to back it up was passed in the ninth Senate but was not duly signed into law by the then-president. Therefore, a new Bill needs to be sponsored or the previous one revisited by the present 10th National Assembly and sent to President Tinubu for his assent,” Achiatar explained

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