The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on the National Assembly to review Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution to increase the minimum educational qualification for aspirants into the position of the president and lawmakers.
The speaker said this while speaking at the 52nd Convocation Lecture of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) titled “Building Back Better; Creating a New Framework for Tertiary Education in Nigeria in the 21st Century” on Monday, January 17, 2022.
While speaking, he said though the age requirements have been reduced, the education requirements should be increased to deal with the ever-challenging issues of the modern world.
According to him, in the Nigerian Constitution, a presidential aspirant is qualified to contest for president if he/she has at least a secondary school certificate.
He said section 131 (d) of the 1999 Constitution as amended states that “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the president if has been educated up to at least school certificate level or it’s equivalent.”
He argued that the provision of the section is a product of a different time which reflected the reality of that time.
Gbajabiamila said raising the minimum educational qualification would help the country to reform its electoral system and provide strong leadership.
In his explanation, he said “As we have reduced the age for eligibility to contest those offices, so also, we should increase the minimum educational requirement. We cannot be talking about raising the standard of education and requiring the barest minimum for people vying for political offices.
“It is time to take another look at the provision. Let us lift our gaze from considerations of small things to focus on the pursuit and achievement of grand ambitions that lift us all and save the future.
“Let us raise a generation in whose hearts the light of understanding is lit and cannot be put out.”
The lawmaker further called on tertiary education to promote entrepreneurship and vocational skills in all courses.
He said “In the new world order, there will always be more businesses to establish than jobs to be found. Our educational focus should better prepare our citizens to be entrepreneurs, instead of being job seekers.”
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