Lawmakers oppose bill to increase education qualifications of president, governors, NASS members

The House of Representatives member has proposed changes to the constitution aimed at increasing the educational requirements for contesting elections in Nigeria. However, the bill faced resistance and was unable to secure approval in the House.

Sponsored by Oriyomi Onanuga, the bill was debated on Tuesday, but after more than two hours of discussion, it was ultimately withdrawn.

During the debate, Onanuga argued that maintaining the current education qualifications, which only require a secondary school certificate, is inadequate for the country. She advocated for raising the minimum requirement to a university degree for all elective positions, questioning whether students lack reasoning abilities.

Backing the bill, Babajimi Benson stressed its long-overdue nature, stating that he had previously sponsored a similar bill in the previous assembly, which he believed the House should support. He challenged opponents of the bill to consider whether their own children were not attending universities.

Six other lawmakers, including Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere, and Leke Abejide, expressed support for the bill. Chinda argued that since primary school certificates are insufficient for private employment, they should not be acceptable for public offices, while Abejide raised concerns about the dangers of allowing mediocrity in national governance.

However, seven lawmakers opposed the bill. Ahmed Jaha from Borno State emphasized that having certification does not necessarily equate to wisdom and urged colleagues to uphold the current constitution. Aliyu Madaki also opposed the bill, asserting that leadership quality is not solely determined by education.

Faced with increasing opposition, Onanuga eventually withdrew the bill as more members expressed disagreement with its proposed changes.