The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to assent to the bill seeking the removal of dichotomy between HND and BSC Holders in Nigeria before leaving office in May.
National President of NATE, Tech. Dominic Udoatan, during a briefing in Abuja on Friday, said: “A bill for an act to abolish and prohibit dichotomy and discrimination between first degree and higher national diploma in same profession/field for the purpose of employment, and for related matters, has been sent to the President Federal Republic of Nigeria for assent on 8th March 2022, with Ref No NASS/CAN/37/NOL.
1/58. This is still pending in the Office of the President.”
“Unfortunately, efforts to abolish this ugly monster called HND and BSC Dichotomy in Nigeria have always been thwarted by enemies of Technological advancement in Nigeria, who want the country to go down at all costs. These self-centered persons with ill motives stay at a corner and constantly devise means of frustrating the Polytechnic Education, Technological breakthrough/development, and the Technologists in our dear country,” he said.
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“We wish to appeal to Mr President to assent to the Bill before him. If the Bill is graciously signed by the President, posterity will forever remember him,” he said.
While noting that several efforts had been put in the long agitation from previous administrations and presently, he recalled that the committee set up by the federal government in 2006 came up with a white paper which resolved that, “The undue dichotomy and ceiling on the Salary Grade Level/ Rank attainable by HND holders should be removed,” “Alas! It was jettisoned at the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.”
The national president pointed out that technology drives a nation’s economy globally and front-liners in such technological breakthroughs are Technologists who are given equal opportunities with their engineering counterparts to showcase their talents, but in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.
