The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti Alumni Association has renewed calls for an end to the long-standing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor’s degree qualifications, describing the divide as a major obstacle to skills development, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the association’s Publicity Secretary, Busayo Adeyemi, said the discriminatory policy had denied thousands of polytechnic graduates equal opportunities 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 technically skilled workforce,” Adeyemi said.
He stressed that graduates of polytechnics, including the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, have consistently excelled in engineering, sciences, business, and technology — both locally and abroad — where their qualifications face no such prejudice.
“Since its establishment in 1977, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, has produced innovators and professionals who contribute significantly to national growth. Yet, outdated policies continue to place them on a lower rung despite their competence and proven track record,” he added.
Adeyemi argued that Nigeria’s progress must be driven by talent rather than “labels,” urging the Federal Government to enforce equity and completely scrap the dichotomy.
Meanwhile, the Association of Private Polytechnics in Nigeria (APPN) has also joined calls for President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a new bill abolishing the HND–degree divide.
APPN President, Dr. Benjamin Achiatar, explained that although the National Council on Establishment had previously removed the disparity, its implementation has been weak.
“The bill to back it up was passed by the ninth Senate but was never signed into law. A new bill must be introduced or the old one revisited by the 10th National Assembly and forwarded to President Tinubu for assent,” he said.
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