On Tuesday, the House of Representatives retracted a bill that sought to raise the bar for educational requirements for some elective positions in the nation, requiring at least a university degree or its equivalent.
The Constitution Alteration Bill, which was sponsored by Hon. Omowunmi Onanuga, the Deputy Whip, was withdrawn by the House following a lengthy discussion of its advantages and disadvantages.
The proposed legislation was named “A Bill for an Act to Modify the Educational Requirement for Elections into Certain Political Offices and for Related Matters to Alter the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)”.
During the lead debate on the general principles of the Bill, Onanuga asserted that all the political offices that the proposed amendment would affect are highly strategic in and of themselves, and she urged the House to examine the educational background of those holding political office.
She clarified that state legislators play a crucial role in enacting laws that govern their states in the best interests of the people, that the governor’s office is the highest political office in a state, that federal legislators play a crucial role in enacting laws that serve the interests of the nation, and that the president is the highest political office in the union.
The lawmaker contended that since a Managing Director, occupying a similarly important role in a national corporation, is ineligible for employment without a college degree or its equivalent, there is no reason why the same individuals should hold such political seats.
“Mr Speaker, Honourable Colleagues, we all know that after a university degree or its equivalent in this country, comes the compulsory National Youth Service Corp, without which it would be difficult to get into any employment especially within the Public Sector.
“Invariably, by leaving the qualification of this political offices to remain at School Certificate level, we are implying that the NYSC is not a requirement to hold political offices but it is a requirement to secure a job in the public sector,” Onanuga stated.
In his pro-bill contribution, Hon. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos) expressed his curiosity over why people in this day and age choose to pursue higher political positions rather than completing their secondary education.
“Anyone who is going to oppose this Bill should tell if his son or daughter is in the university or not. I can’t believe that in this modern age, some people will say don’t go to school but yet go and be the president,” he said.
Speaking against the bill, Hon. Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) emphasized that educational background was not a reliable indicator of knowledge and intellect and that passing the proposed legislation would have a bad impact on certain areas of the nation.
“Qualification alone is not a true test of knowledge. We are making laws for good governance and peace in this country. We will not make laws that will favour only a few number of Nigerians.
“How many Nigerians are degree holders? America that we refer to has done greatly in educating its citizens but here in Nigeria what have we done in improving our education system?” he said
