Bill seeking to raise Academic qualification passes first reading- Reps
The House of Representatives receives a bill seeking to raise the academic qualification for the seats of President of Nigeria, governor and other elective public offices to university degree or its equivalent.
The bill which was sponsored by the lawmaker representing the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency in Ogun State, Adewunmi Onanuga, seek to amend the 1999 Constitution by raising the qualification from school certificate to degree.
Recall that The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila made the first submission on January 17, 2022, in a paper titled, ‘Building Back Better: Creating a New Framework for Tertiary Education in Nigeria in the 21st Century’, which he delivered during the 52nd convocation of the University of Lagos. The speaker asked for academic qualification for elective offices pegged at secondary school certificate, to be reviewed. The bill, which passed its first reading on Tuesday 1st february 2022, was titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, Cap. C23, Laws of the Federation, 2004,
The explanatory memorandum on the bill reads, “This bill seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, Cap. C23, Laws of the Federation, 2004, to review the required educational qualification for election into government public offices.”
The bill specifically seeks to alter sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the Constitution.
In the speaker’s statement, “I sincerely believe that the National Assembly needs to look into Section 131 (d) of the 1999 Constitution with a view to increasing the minimum educational qualification for persons aspiring to be future Presidents of Nigeria and other top offices, including the National Assembly, as against the current minimum requirement of a secondary school certificate or its equivalent.
“As we have reduced the age for eligibility to contest those offices, so also, the need for increase in minimum educational requirement must be reviewed. This will serve as another step to in reforming our electoral system and providing strong leadership for the country.”
This Aligns with PressPayNg decision for every student to stay in school and not drop out due to lack of funds. PressPayNg mission is to offer disruptive innovations and silverbullet solutions to human capital development in Nigeria and also empower the educational ambition of every Nigerian students. as there can be challenges most times either for student or parents to pay tuition. And if this bill is passed into law, there will be need for every young Nigerians aspiring to hold a public office later in future to acquire a university degree or its equivalent in order to be eligible.
