Nigerian polytechnic students are gearing up for a mass protest demanding the removal of the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.
The demonstration, spearheaded by the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), is set to take place on September 12th, 2024, in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
The protest call was officially announced by the Senate arm of NAPS, urging participation from federal, state, and private polytechnics, alongside institutions like the Federal College of Agriculture and the Federal Cooperative College.
The goal is to unite all bodies issuing Ordinary National Diplomas (OND) and Higher National Diplomas (HND) in a unified stance against what they describe as “bad policy” under Oloyede’s leadership.
“The leadership of the NAPS Senate hereby invites the entire Polytechnic Students, SUG Presidents, NAPS national executive, NAPS zonal structures, and NAPS stakeholders in the fight against JAMB registrar Professor Olanrewaju Is-haq Oloyede’s bad policy against Nigeria Polytechnic students and Polytechnic education in Nigeria,” the protest letter emphatically stated.
Adeniki Temitope, the NAPS Senate President, further explained to SaharaReporters the core issue at hand, “We have a case where students who did part-time for their National Diploma level and then full-time for their Higher National Diploma are denied the right to serve. This is even after JAMB collected N5000 to N6000 per student for JAMB regularisation.
“This scheme where students do part-time for national diploma and then full-time for Higher National Diploma has been existing for years before Oloyede became JAMB registrar and Polytechnic students should not be taken as second class citizens in the country.”
Temitope highlighted the dire consequences of the policy, noting the significant number of affected students and the failed attempts to engage JAMB in dialogue. The protest represents a critical moment for polytechnic students who feel marginalized and are demanding immediate action from educational authorities.
The outcome of this demonstration could signal pivotal changes in the educational landscape for Nigeria’s polytechnic community.
