By Graduates of Adamawa State Polytechnic have staged a peaceful protest over delays caused by the non-accreditation of some academic programmes, calling on the state government to urgently intervene.
The protesting graduates, alongside current students facing similar uncertainty, marched to the Rector’s Office and the Government House in Yola, expressing concerns that their academic progress and future careers are being jeopardized.
The affected students—drawn from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 graduating sets—lamented the institution’s failure to upload their accreditation status on the portal of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which has prevented many eligible graduates from participating in the mandatory national service.
Students currently in HND I, as well as those who recently completed their programmes, also voiced fears that they could face the same predicament if the issue remains unresolved.
Findings indicate that students from the Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) and Biochemistry departments are among the worst affected. Sources revealed that the HND SLT programme has been running since 2021 without full accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), despite the institution having graduated two sets of students.
The lack of full accreditation has rendered many graduates ineligible for NYSC mobilisation, as only candidates from fully accredited programmes are cleared for service.
One of the affected graduates, who spoke anonymously, expressed frustration over the prolonged delay.
“We have written letters, made several inquiries, and sought clarification from the school management, but the response has always been that action will be taken soon. Nothing has changed, and our efforts are being wasted,” the graduate said.
Although the protesters initially hoped to meet Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri at the Government House, they were unable to gain access.
However, the Rector of the institution, Mohammed Toungos, later addressed the demonstrators after arriving on campus.
He commended the students for maintaining a peaceful protest and assured them that management was aware of their concerns and would take immediate steps to resolve the lingering issues surrounding accreditation and certificate processing.
The rector further pledged to engage with the NBTE and other relevant authorities to fast-track the accreditation of the affected programmes and ensure that qualified graduates are mobilised for national service.
