The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) Calls for Protest Against JAMB Registrar Over Policy Dispute

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has announced plans to stage a protest against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede. The protest, scheduled for September 12, 2024, in Abuja, is being organized in response to grievances regarding JAMB's policies affecting polytechnic students.

According to a statement from the Senate arm of NAPS, the protest is a call to action for all federal, state, and private polytechnics, as well as federal colleges of agriculture, cooperative colleges, and any institution issuing Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND). The statement reads: “The leadership of the NAPS Senate hereby invites the entire Polytechnic Students, SUG Presidents, NAPS national executive, NAPS zonal structures, and NAPS stakeholders to join in the fight against JAMB registrar Professor Olanrewaju Is-haq Oloyede’s detrimental policies against Nigerian polytechnic students and polytechnic education.”

The protest seeks either the removal of JAMB registrar Prof. Oloyede or a reversal of what NAPS describes as harmful policies.

NAPS Senate President, Adeniki Temitope, speaking with SaharaReporters, alleged that JAMB instructed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to exclude polytechnic students who completed part-time National Diploma programs and full-time Higher National Diploma programs from service. “We have a case where students who did part-time for their National Diploma and then full-time for their Higher National Diploma are denied the right to serve. This is despite JAMB collecting N5000 to N6000 per student for JAMB regularisation. This scheme has been in place for years before Oloyede became JAMB registrar, and polytechnic students should not be treated as second-class citizens,” Temitope said.

He also noted that efforts to resolve the issue directly with JAMB have been unsuccessful, highlighting the significant number of affected students and the gravity of the situation.

The protest aims to address these concerns and advocate for equitable treatment of polytechnic students in Nigeria’s educational and service systems.