The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) at the weekend urged President Goodluck Jonathan to implement the Federal Government’s white paper on the removal of grade level (GL) 14 ceiling placed on the career progression of holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) in public service.
Its President Leo Okereke told reporters in Abuja that the group would embark on mass protest to the National Assembly and other key government offices should their demand not be heeded by government.
Okereke noted that the implementation of the policy is long overdue as it has resulted in the stagnation of its members and the overall infrastructural development of the country.
According to him, despite all directives for relevant government agencies to amend laws that placed undue disadvantage on HND degree holders in their career progression, nothing has benndone to effect that change.
Okereke said: “The implementation of this policy has been lingering and overdue, and has become of great concern to the members of our association and generality of Nigerians who rightly believe that the consistent infrastructural failure and lack of technological breakthrough is a direct consequence of this obnoxious discrimination and stagnation.
“The issue at stake is the issue of technology; it is the issue of taking Nigeria among the comity of nations because over the years, we have seen that even the ranking of the developing countries, Nigeria is number one along with Brazil, India and a host of others. But today, Brazil, India and China are moving forward technologically but Nigeria is left behind.”
Besides, the chairman of the NATE’ committee on The way forward for technologists in Nigeria, Dr Mutairu Useni described as sad the way and manner technology has been neglected, adding that no country in the history of the world has ever progressed without technologists.
Useni , who is also a lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue state stated further that even the ongoing reforms in the Civil Service by the Federal Government of Nigeria recognizes the fact that HND holders have continued to maintain relatively higher level of responsibility in their duties.
-From:
"Kolawole, Peter (IITA)"
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