False! Reps have not passed law equalising BSC, HND

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Juliet Buna

Claim: Social media users claim that the House of Representatives has passed a bill that eliminates the distinction between university degree certificates (BSc) and Higher National Diplomas (HND), declaring both qualifications equal in all academic and career aspects.

Verdict: FALSE. Findings reveal that the bill has not been passed into law. As of March 2025, it has only passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.

Full Text

The Nigerian House of Representatives has made several legislative attempts to address the long-standing disparity between Bachelor’s degrees (BSc) and Higher National Diplomas (HND).

Recent social media claims suggest that the House has lawfully passed the bill. One such claim was made by a Facebook user, Ugo Emmanuella, on March 20, 2025. 

The post’s caption reads, “The Federal House of Representatives has passed into law a bill that ends the dichotomy between university degree certificates (BSc) and HND, thereby declaring the two certificates equal in all academic and career ramifications. The bill also proposed a two-year jail term for any individual or organisation that places an HND certificate holder below their BSc counterpart due to their qualification.”

The same claim was shared by Instagram users @sulaiman_gwamna and @abubakar_rogo and widely circulated on WhatsApp.

DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim because it is about a significant policy change affecting millions of Nigerians, particularly polytechnic and university graduates.

Verification

DUBAWA’s findings reveal that this claim first circulated on social media in 2022 despite no confirmation from legislative authorities.

Further investigation shows that in November 2021, the House of Representatives passed a bill to eliminate employment discrimination against HND holders. However, for the bill to become law, it requires approval from the Senate and presidential assent—steps that were not completed.

In March 2025, the House revisited the issue with a new bill proposing the replacement of the HND with a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree. This bill aims to allow polytechnic graduates to compete equally with university graduates.

Contrary to the online claim, this bill has only passed its second reading in the House of Representatives and has not yet been passed into law as of March 4, 2025.

Also, the bill does not propose a two-year jail term for individuals or organisations that discriminate against HND holders. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said it seeks to replace the HND with a BTech degree rather than equalise the certificates.

Before a bill becomes a law, it must undergo multiple legislative steps, including Senate approval and presidential assent.

Below is a summary of the various steps bills pass through before they become law.

1. Introduction: A bill is presented to either the House of Representatives or Senate for the first reading.

2. Second Reading: Lawmakers debate the bill’s principles. If approved, it proceeds to committee review.

3. Committee Stage: A standing committee examines the bill, holds public hearings, and proposes amendments.

4. Report Stage: The committee’s findings are presented, and the bill advances to the third reading.

5. Third Reading: Lawmakers engage in a final debate before voting. If passed, the bill is sent to the other legislative chamber for approval.

6. Harmonization: If the House and Senate versions differ, a Joint Conference Committee works to resolve discrepancies.

7. Presidential Assent: The harmonised bill is sent to the President for signature within 30 days. If the President vetoes it, the National Assembly can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

A bill only becomes law after completing all these steps.

Conclusion

While legislative progress has been made toward addressing the BSc–HND disparity, the process has not been completed. As of March 25, 2025, the bill is still undergoing legislative review and has not been enacted into law. Thus, the claim that the House of Representatives has passed the bill into law is FALSE.