Polytechnic students under the umbrella of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) have threatened to occupy the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The students also threatened to shut down all polytechnics, colleges of technology and allied institutions across the country if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to sign the Higher National Diploma/Bachelor of Science (HND/Bsc) Dichotomy Bill into law within 14 days.
The Senate arm of the students' union issued the threat and the 14-day ultimatum on Monday in a statement signed by its Deputy Senate President, Comrade Adeniji Boluwaji Temitope.
According to the students, though the 9th National Assembly has long passed a bill for an Act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma, President Buhari has failed to assent to the bill.
They noted that Nigerian polytechnic students and graduates have been facing difficulties of dichotomy for many years.
The union stated, “It is no more news that Nigerian polytechnic students and polytechnic graduates have been facing difficulties of dichotomy for the past years, in which the stakeholders in polytechnic education sector have put so much pressure and resources on the 9th National Assembly to pass the Bill for an Act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination between first degree and Higher National Diploma, the 9th National Assembly has done a very good job by passing the Bill but the President Assent to make it a law has not be assented.
“The Senate arm of the National Association of Polytechnic Students through the Office of Deputy Senate President has agreed on shutting down all polytechnics, colleges of technology and allied institutions that are awarding Higher National Diploma across Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari don't assent to HND/Bsc dichotomy Act in the next Fourteen Days (14).
“For some time now, we observed that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been assenting to many bills but the HND/Bsc dichotomy bill hasn't been attended to. In line with this, if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to assent to this bill within 14 working days, the polytechnic students across Nigeria will occupy Presidential Villa in Abuja and continue to cry until President Muhammadu Buhari assents to the bill.
“Polytechnic students and graduate students are one of the major groups that supported and sustained the regime of President Muhammed Buhari in the last 7 years and 10 months, we shouldn't be treated like an outcast in our nation.
“President Mohammed Buhari should stop the HND/Bsc dichotomy now and make it one of his achievements and legacy as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”