The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti Alumni Association, has advocated urgent end to the dichotomy between higher national diploma and bachelor’s degree to propel skills, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Publicity Secretary, FPA Alumni Association, Busayo Adeyemi, held in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Monday that the divide has robbed thousands of polytechnic graduates of equal opportunities in employment and career growth.
There have been consistent calls for abolition of the dichotomy between HND and degree holders, with some polytechnics becoming degree-awarding institutions or universities of technology.
Adeyemi said, “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.
“The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, and other polytechnics 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 said Nigerian polytechnics have produced graduates who have been of immense benefits to the country and indeed the world.
He said, “Take the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti as an example: Since its establishment in 1977, it 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 added, “So why does Nigeria still place HND holders on lower rungs of the ladder, despite their competence and proven track record? The answer is outdated policies and prejudice, not lack of ability.
“It is time to enforce equity, scrap the dichotomy completely, and let Nigeria’s progress be driven by talent—not by labels.”
Meanwhile, the Association of Private Polytechnics in Nigeria recently joined polytechnics alumni bodies and staff to call on President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a bill for an Act to abolish the dichotomy between a Higher National Diploma and a Bachelor’s degree.
President of the Association, Dr Benjamin Achiatar, said although the dichotomy had been officially removed by the National Council on Establishment, its implementation is poor.
“The bill to back it up was passed at 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,’’ he said.
