The newly elected National President of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Jimoh Ibrahim, has given the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, a 14-day ultimatum to resign over what he described as policies undermining polytechnic and technical education in Nigeria.
Ibrahim issued the ultimatum in a statement while outlining his priorities as the new leader of the association.
He accused the minister of taking actions that have worked against polytechnic education and warned that students would no longer remain passive while the sector faces what he described as continued deterioration.
“Any minister who does not prioritise the technological advancement of the country is not worthy of the appointment,” he said.
The NAPS president outlined a five-point agenda for his administration, covering students’ welfare, educational reform, institutional strengthening, capacity building and strategic partnerships.
He said the administration would focus on longstanding challenges affecting polytechnics, including inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, outdated laboratories and weak links between institutions and industries.
A major part of his agenda is the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training initiative.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for promoting TVET as a pathway to skills and employment, Ibrahim warned institutions against exploiting students participating in the programme.
He said NAPS would use constitutional and democratic means, including protests and legal action, against institutions involved in what he described as extortionate practices.
The new NAPS president also called for an end to the long-standing disparity between holders of Higher National Diploma and Bachelor of Science degrees.
He described the difference in career progression, public-sector recognition and postgraduate opportunities as one of the major injustices facing the Nigerian education system.
Ibrahim said NAPS would continue engaging policymakers, the National Assembly and relevant government agencies until polytechnic graduates achieve equal opportunities in employment, promotion and postgraduate admissions.
On the future of polytechnics, he rejected the growing practice of converting them into conventional universities.
Instead, he advocated strengthening polytechnics and granting them the authority to award Bachelor of Technology degrees.
“A country genuinely committed to technological advancement and economic prosperity does not diminish its polytechnics; it strengthens them,” he said.
He also called for increased government investment in modern digital infrastructure, workshops and equipment, alongside stronger partnerships between polytechnics and industries.
According to him, such partnerships would help ensure that graduates are prepared for the labour market and that research from polytechnics can be developed into commercially useful solutions.
Ibrahim maintained that polytechnics remain important to Nigeria’s industrialisation because they provide the technical manpower needed in sectors including manufacturing, construction, agriculture and information and communication technology.
He warned that weakening the institutions through neglect or conversion could undermine the country’s technological and economic development.
The new NAPS leadership, he added, would also prioritise accountability, internal cohesion and advocacy that reflects the realities of students across polytechnics nationwide.
Ibrahim further commended the Department of State Services for its support in ensuring a peaceful national convention that produced the new NAPS executives.
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