Nigeria’s Senate Approves Amendment Allowing Federal Polytechnics to Award B.Tech Degrees

Federal polytechnics will now be able to award Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech. Hons.) degrees after the Senate on Thursday, 15 October 2026, approved a fresh amendment to the Federal Polytechnic Act.

The decision, taken during plenary in Abuja, reverses the earlier restriction that had limited the institutions to National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) awards.

What the amendment changes?

The new provision, Section 2(1)(c), permits federal polytechnics to award B.Tech. Hons. degrees in science, engineering, and technology programmes. Holders of ND, HND, or postgraduate diplomas are covered, but the degrees must be accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other relevant regulators.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele moved the motion for reconsideration. He said Sections 2, 8, and 31 of the Act needed clearer legal and administrative wording. The amendment was recommitted to the Committee of the Whole, and no senator opposed it. Senate President Godswill Akpabio put it to a voice vote, and most senators supported it.

Rector tenure and ministerial definition

The amendment also changes Section 8. Under the revised provision, a polytechnic’s governing council will appoint a rector for an initial 5 year term, with eligibility for one final term of four years.

Section 31 is also revised to define a minister as the officer responsible for education.

Why the change matters?

The BSc/HND divide has remained a sensitive issue in Nigeria. HND holders have often complained of unequal treatment in recruitment, promotion, and pay, especially in public service.

A March 2018 circular from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation allowed HND holders to enter the federal civil service at Salary Grade Level 08. However, progression beyond Grade Level 14 or conversion to the officer cadre still depends on additional conditions under public service rules.

In 2023, the House of Representatives raised concerns about alleged promotion disparities between HND and degree holders in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The new B.Tech pathway may not automatically settle those complaints. Its impact will depend on how employers, regulators, and civil service rules recognise the new degrees.

What happens next?

Implementation will depend on NUC accreditation and acceptance by employers and public service bodies. If recruitment grades, promotion rules, and schemes of service are not reviewed, the old HND/BSc friction could remain.

Source: Premium Times