The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP) has rejected the reviewed Schemes of Service for Nigerian Polytechnics prepared by the National Board for Technical Education, describing them as unfair and discriminatory against non-teaching staff.
The association disclosed this in a minority report submitted to the Minister of Education after a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja on Monday, January 19, 2026.
In the report signed by its National President, Comrade Philip Adebanjo Ogunsipe, SSANIP said the reviewed schemes introduced wide disparities between teaching and non-teaching staff, particularly at the entry point of employment in the polytechnic system.
According to the association, the schemes would also undermine career progression for non-teaching staff by preventing officers with first degrees from advancing to CONTEDISS 15, which is equivalent to Grade Level 17 in the federal public service.
Ogunsipe said documentary evidence confirming the existence of the CONTEDISS 15 salary structure, including records from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, were ignored during deliberations.
He also criticised comments attributed to the Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology of Nigeria, who reportedly stated that rectors and some non-teaching staff could not retire on the same grade level.
Describing the remarks as “demeaning, elitist and discriminatory,” Ogunsipe said they were inconsistent with extant public service rules.
“With this minority report, the association hereby passes a vote of no confidence in the ability of the NBTE to provide fair, balanced and acceptable schemes of service for polytechnics in Nigeria, given its persistent bias and disregard for established public service regulations,” he said.
The Union urged the Minister of Education to examine its protest objectively in the interest of equity, industrial harmony and strict adherence to public service norms.
Ogunsipe expressed confidence in the minister’s leadership, describing him as a dispassionate public servant, and said addressing SSANIP’s concerns would ensure that polytechnics are not denied the parity enjoyed by universities and colleges of education.
SSANIP also rejected the decision taken at the stakeholders’ meeting to exclude the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation from the preparation and approval of the reviewed schemes.
The union insisted that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation remains the only federal government agency legally mandated to prepare and approve Schemes of Service for public institutions.
