The House of Representatives has passed, for second reading,
a bill to bar people without university degrees from contesting the
presidential position.
To contest for federal and state legislature and
governorship seats, a candidate will need a minimum of a university degree.
The bill, sponsored by Oriyomi Onanuga, seeks to amend
sections 66, 106, 131 and 171 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The proposed bill, if passed, means that lawmakers, governors and presidents must have a minimum qualification of a Bachelor degree, a Higher National Diploma, Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) and other degree equivalent certificates.
Speaking on the floor of the house during plenary on
Tuesday, Onanuga said raising the minimum educational requirement for these
political positions will better prepare candidates for the job ahead.
“This is not a bill targeted at stifling the interest of
Nigerians in politics, rather it is a bill that will help Nigerians to sufficiently
prepare for the humongous task of political leadership,” she said.
“As we have begun to see, the race for elective offices at
both state and national levels have become increasingly competitive. While this
is good as a tenet of universal suffrage, it can also be counterproductive if
people who are not sufficiently prepared educationally, get into these elective
offices.
“If a managing
director who holds an equally strategic position in a company within this
country, cannot be employed without a university degree or its equivalent, why
should the above political offices be held by people without a university
degree or its equivalent?
“We all know that after a university degree or its
equivalent in this country, comes the compulsory National Youth Service Corp
(NYSC), 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.
“Otherwise, how do we place value on education if I say to
my son who wants to be a doctor that he needs a university degree or its
equivalent to achieve his dream and then say to my daughter who wants to be a
president someday that she only needs to have a school certificate?”
The legislator said the bill, when passed into law, will
affect the quality of candidates who run for elective offices in the country.
She added that studying up to a university level would
afford a candidate the knowledge, skills and preparedness that cannot be
obtained at the school certificate level.
The bill, which was not debated, was unanimously adopted
when it was put to a voice vote by Idris Wase, deputy speaker of the house.
Several politicians in Nigeria use secondary school or
primary school certificates to run for office.
Former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party at the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, presented a Diploma
Certificate as his highest qualification. Mr Abubakar is believed to be
interested in running for president in 2023.
It is not only Mr Atiku that presented less than a university
degree or equivalent. Omoyele Sowore, the candidate of the African Action
Congress (AAC) also presented a Senior Secondary School Certificate, WAEC, as
his highest qualification.
On Tuesday, the House debated the general principle of the
bill and passed it for second reading. The bill was subsequently transmitted to
the Committee on Constitution Amendment.
If passed, politicians without qualifications up to degree
level will be ruled out.
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