The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law the Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and HND before leaving office.
In an interview with the National President of ASUP, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, in Abuja on Sunday, 21st May, said the dichotomy has made young Nigerians to lose interest in polytechnics in the country.
He said: “We are urging President Buhari to go ahead and sign that bill into law. That is another way of saving this sector. As we speak, the Roman figures are dropping significantly so because the sector is losing its attraction to young people.
Ezeibe added that it would be a memorable legacy if President Buhari assents to the dichotomy bill be before exiting office on the 29th of May.
“So we expect him to sign this bill. Other stakeholders in the sector have also been calling for him to do so. It will be an enduring legacy if Mr. President succeeds in doing this before he leaves office.”
He contended that stakeholders in the polytechnic education sector had urged the Ninth National Assembly to pass the “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma.”
Recall, in 2021 the National Assembly passed the “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field for the Purpose of Employment; and for Related Matters,” and has presented it to President Buhari for assent before it can become a law.
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ibrahim Shekarau (APC, Kano Central), also shared his take on this he said, “The enactment of the bill to abolish and prohibit discrimination between First Degrees and Higher National Diploma for the purpose of employment in Nigeria will no doubt freeholders of HND from stagnation and ensure balanced treatment with their counterparts from other higher tertiary institutions in Nigeria”.
