₦airaland Forum

Labour investigates discrimination against Poly graduates by banks
By Victor Ahuma-Young Posted to the Web: Wednesday, March 22, 2006

CONGRESS of Free Trade Unions of Nigeria (CFTU), a senior staff umbrella body that has the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and other Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) as one of its affiliates, has set up a committee to investigate alleged discrimination against graduates from Polytechnic, state universities and even some federal universities by employers of labour, especially the newly consolidated banks. At the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the body which recently took place in Kogi State, members of CFTU vowed to tackle any employer especially in the banking sector that is found to be involved in such unwholesome practice. The communique released at the end of the NEC meeting and signed by CFTU’s General Secretary, Comrade Didi Adodo, however adjudged the recently concluded re-capitalisation in the banking sector as a welcome innovation.

Thank you brother.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200603220073.html


Redesign Post-HND Programmes in Polytechnics - Leo Okereke, President, NATE

Vanguard (Lagos)INTERVIEWMarch 22, 2006Posted to the web March 22, 2006



]President Olusegun Obasanjo recently redressed the discrepancies between holders of the Higher National Diploma and University graduates in the country's civil service. Correspondent, Chidi Nkwopara, cornered the National President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, Chief Leo N. Okereke, for his comments on the development. He is of the view that government should do more to save Polytechnic education in the country. Excerpts.

THERE has been this nagging discrepancy between Higher National Diploma certificate holders and Bachelors Degree holders in Nigeria. How did it come about and when did the policy begin?

"The ugly policy came about when some university graduates ganged up and formed an engineering association, the Nigerian Society of Engineers. They immediately started discriminating against graduates from the Polytechnics from being registered as engineers. This did not augur well for the Polytechnic graduates and they in turn decided to form a parallel association of their own. So, while the university graduates ganged up under an umbrella union, the polytechnic graduates equally ganged up and formed a division of their own. It was only in 1976 that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) gave the Technologists their certificate of incorporation. Since then, they have been waging a war to be recognised and to be acknowledged. From 1976 to 2006 is about 30 years, a whole of 30-years struggle for the removal of man's inhumanity to man and for equal opportunities.

It is a most welcome development that President Olusegun Obasanjo has rescued us from this ugly position hoisted on polytechnic graduates by fellow citizens. We are really grateful that he has removed this bar. A class distinction was also created when Aristocrats designed the university curriculum to the detriment of the ones designed for the Colleges of Technology. This was designed to make the children of the elitist class to see themselves as superior to the less privileged. In an ideal society, everybody should be accorded his or her due respect, especially as there is dignity in labour, as I think there ought to be. There should be no bars, descriminations or restrictions in order to bring out the best in one's productivity, commitment and contributions. In fact, this would ultimately make for a very healthy competition."

Is there a specific difference in the curriculum content of universities and polytechnics?

"The polytechnic curriculum was at par with that of the university but as a result of this man-made discrimination, along the line, they started watering down the polytechnic curriculum because polytechnic graduates were becoming serious threat to university graduates. This was evidenced in industries and in practical work. They were more preferred than university graduates in these areas. So, from the 1980s, they started watering the curriculum down. But now, it is at par again and if you've observed, that is why up till now it is only the poly graduates and university graduates that are going for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)."

What efforts did the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) make in changing the fortunes of polytechnic graduates?

"They have been putting up very concerted efforts. They have also tried to beef up the curriculum content in the nation's polytechnics. It is also the only recognised body that accredits polytechnic studies. Courses, programmes or any field of studies that is not accredited by NBTE is automatically dropped. Also, any polytechnic that is not accredited will be forced to close its doors to students. All the courses that are accredited are automatically recognised and it must be at par with that of the universities. Honestly, I think NBTE has been putting up a good fight for their products. They have been trying. When Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) was established by Decree 57, it was made by only graduates of the university system. But when they saw that Nigerian Association of Technological Engineers (NATE) was putting up this fight for the past 30 years, they now decided to form an engineering family, whereby all shades of engineering graduates w ould be accomodated. We now have Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and we have Nigerian Institute of Technologists in Engineering, which is our own. We have Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians and we Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftmen. We also have Association of Consulting Engineers of Nigeria (ACEN). All these bodies make the engineering family thick and there is now peace and harmony in the engineering profession because everybody is accomodated and recognised. We have to also thank COREN for successfully midwifing this engineering family and making it to be what it is now by accomodating everybody. It is a very welcome development."

Is the Decree 57 to be amended in view of the current situation or are you urging government to amend it? How would it affect your members?

"We are now talking about amendment of the Nigerian Constitution. We believe that we have to send in a memorandum to the National Assembly so that the aspects of this Decree can also be amended to accommodate the HND graduates. That is why the President has told the Committee on Education in both the Senate and Federal House of Representatives to work out the modalities and bring the papers to him. Yes, there should be an amendment of the Decree so that everybody would be accomodated."

Which are the areas that are not favourable to NATE?





"The area which affected us most was the issue of not rising above grade level 14 for those in the public service. This is what Mr. President has graciously removed in a recent policy statement. If you remove the grade level 14 bar and everybody can now hit the skies, anybody can accept any nomenclature in life but the most important is the take-home pay. Somebody stopping you from reaching your goal is anachronistic. You have the same number of papers before you entered the university, the same number of credits before you entered the polytechnic. You again stay the same number of years in the university as in the polytechnic. Sometimes, more time is spent in some courses in the polytechnic and you successfully come out, only to be discriminated against. It is improper. It is satanic. It is a sin. We thank the President for boldly coming out to remove this man made bar. It is the take home that matters. Now, the Technologist can rise to the position of a director, grade leve l 17 in the Federal civil service and grade level 16 in the state civil service. In order words, technologists will no longer stop at Chief Technical Officers. People can now rise to the pinacle of their profession."

Are there areas in Nigeria's technical education that should be redesigned or refined?

"Yes. We would want the Federal government to refine or redesign the post-HND programmes in polytechnics, which was approved a long time ago but has sadly remained in the cooler. We are very confident that the President will one day resurrect this policy and give it the appropriate attention. The polytechnics should be running and awarding higher degrees up to the doctorate level. This same situation is obtainable in the United Kingdom and United States of America, from where Nigeria copied its samples, examples and patterns. The idea is to ensure that nobody stops only at the HND level. Again, no lecturer in the polytechnic system rises to the professorial rank. This is discriminatory and capable of generating serious brain drain. We want all the features that are obtainable in the universities to also feature in the polytechnics".

Are you satisfied with the curriculum content, level of funding and installation of the needed equipment in our polytechnics?

"The funding and equipment is above average but it can be improved upon. Over the years, government has been catering for these institutions, except now that some private organisations and individuals have started setting up private universities and polytechnics. It takes a lot of money to properly equip the engineering departments. My appeal is that government should help in equipping the public and private institutions. Government should seriously come into education because it is the bedrock of the nation's development. It has to increase the funding, the equipment and pay of the lecturers. The whole idea is to ensure that the products of these tertiary institutions would be comparable to those in foreign lands".

How do you feel now that the battle has been fought and won by NATE?

"Honestly, I feel elated. I feel fulfilled. I feel very happy particularly because I was elected National President of NATE only in November last year and January 6, 2006, Mr. President removed this bar. I feel very happy that God has used my tenure to bring about this change."

What promise are you making this nation on behalf of your Association?

"My promise is that the technological transfer has just begun."

coward!

Labour investigates discrimination against Poly graduates by banks
By Victor Ahuma-Young Posted to the Web: Wednesday, March 22, 2006

CONGRESS of Free Trade Unions of Nigeria (CFTU), a senior staff umbrella body that has the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and other Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) as one of its affiliates, has set up a committee to investigate alleged discrimination against graduates from Polytechnic, state universities and even some federal universities by employers of labour, especially the newly consolidated banks. At the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the body which recently took place in Kogi State, members of CFTU vowed to tackle any employer especially in the banking sector that is found to be involved in such unwholesome practice. The communique released at the end of the NEC meeting and signed by CFTU’s General Secretary, Comrade Didi Adodo, however adjudged the recently concluded re-capitalisation in the banking sector as a welcome innovation.

May almighty SOLUDO, with the Grace of OBJ and Mighty name of RiBadu deal with Acess bank the way they delt with HND holderds Amen

You need to know that majority of those in the university today once had National diploma from the polytechnic.

Our society listen only to what people say. The Bsc holders job is no longer available in Nigeria. All what they try to do is to take over available spaces. But luck ran against them as they lack the skill to be on their own. We HND holders moved faster having both the skill and additional qualifications, before they could understand it we have PGD, Masters Etc. Please have a change of heart as the polytechnic now shines. Not for drop out again says the same society.

good talk

Poor in spirit is purely humility.

Please note:IBB is the Nigerian President after OBJ. Regards

Seun you better watch any letter sent to you in order to avoid Dele Giwa's mistake.

You need to seek for the truth, it seems you are far removed from the truth and reality Donnie

anti-christ

seun, ejiro, hnd holder and hot angel

Please Ejiro come back o

Abbreviation of words  etc Ask seun

Aduraseyi:
am not a jehovah witness,my first cousins are and they dnt try to convert me,am a christian.dey r one of d loveliest families ave ever met.dey  inspire me a lot.i mean my lil cousin(9years old) can never lie!!d love is genuine.dey are not 2-faced,dey are soo straight forward.actually dey r d only jehovah witnesses ave known so far.don't know about odas but  d fact that i love this family can't make me become a jehovah witness.bsides i dnt agree with sum of der blifs,dey dnt celebrate der birthday because according to them,Herod is d only one in d bible that celebrated his birthday nd he was a sinner.dey also do not celebrate xmas, don't know y.everyone is entitled to their opinions.,soo.i thnk we shuld RESPECT ourselves and accept one another d way we  are.Peace!

You broke all rules Why?

Why fire 4 fire now. God / Allah did not ask them to kill?. Islam came out of Christianity the way Christianity came out of Jewish religion.

For me I feel some organisation fuel this thing. The cartoon was drawn in 2005 in Demark

Then fire the first shot. Getdown to work. You are great

God and Allah: Are they the same?

I think this is the topic,
what are we talking about now? maturity
A word they say.

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Eckankar is ancient wisdom for today. Its teachings, which resurfaced in 1965, emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to God. Whatever your religious background, they show how to look and listen within yourself—to expand your consciousness and enjoy spiritual freedom. See, perhaps for the first time, how to lead a happy, balanced, and productive life and put daily concerns into loving perspective.

Eckankar teaches simple spiritual exercises to experience the Light and Sound of God. These exercises also help us Soul Travel, to move into greater states of consciousness. A spiritual exercise can be as simple as relaxing and singing the word HU, an ancient name for God. As we practice these spiritual exercises, we learn to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We learn that each of us is Soul, a spark of God sent to this world to gain spiritual experience. And as we unfold spiritually, we learn to express the love of God through service to others.

Sound and light religion. The song HU is the key prayer.

Some Churches nowadays are nothing but a business Center. The bitter truth but then relate this to the owns burnt down in maiduguri last weak and the risk?

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146

Check the
Cartoon Gallery

Nigerian religious riots continue

About 10,000 are still sheltering in an army barracks in Onitsha
Violence is continuing across Nigeria where religious riots have claimed more than 100 lives this week.
A number of deaths were reported and churches and shops burned on Friday in the towns of Kontagora and Potiskum in the north and Enugu in the south-east.

Some 10,000 people are still sheltering in barracks in the south-east town of Onitsha after violence there killed 80.

Nigeria's 120m people are about equally divided between northern Muslims, and Christians and animists in the south.

The violence began last weekend with demonstrations by Muslims in the north against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad. More than 30 Christians were killed in riots in two mainly Muslim towns.

More than 80 people were then killed in Onitsha in two days of reprisal attacks by crowds of Christians armed with machetes.

Burned market

On Friday at least two people were killed in the northern town of Kontagora by machete-wielding Muslim mobs. At least four Christian churches were torched, Red Cross officials said.

Dozens of people were arrested in Potiskum in the north-east, where Muslim youths burned shops, churches and houses.


Police have struggled to keep the violence under control

At least four people were killed there, residents said.

In mainly Christian Enugu, Christian youths attacked Muslims. One motorcycle taxi driver was reportedly beaten to death and a mosque burned.

Authorities in Onitsha say 10,000 people, mainly Muslims are still taking refuge in an army barracks.

The BBC's Alex Last in Onitsha says the Muslim Hausa market was the epicentre of the violence and is now a blackened mess of rubble, burned-out cars and contorted metal.

Many people were killed as they tried to cross a bridge. Witnesses said bodies were tossed into the river below, he reports.

The situation is now calm but the town is in shock.

In mainly Muslim Kano in the north, the spiritual head, the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, called for calm in a radio address.

"I call on all Muslims of this great city to remain calm and co-exist peacefully. We should not allow some flimsy misunderstandings to result in killings and destruction," he said.

Relations between Muslims and Christians - and the country's many ethnic groups - have long been tense.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in communal clashes since 1999.


BBC/ NEWS /AFRICA /NIGERIA

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): " Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Seun I pity you, you may face more bullets but becareful.

I left fine job, fine everything to start a new life in the south. It is not easy if you can not stay and enjoy some part of your country.

I have spent phoning friends in the north to check if they are still alive.

How about the NYSC traped in this useless thing.
Nothing in religion God hates it.
This is for the wise

The fake truth is now leading to blood . Blood in christianity Blood in islam. More blood washing sins, Ah!