Politics
Lawmakers Disagree On WAEC Being A Minimum Educational Requirement To Contest For Presidency
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives have passed into second reading a bill seeking to raise the educational qualification for election into the office of the president.
The constitution amendment bill, which passed first reading last Tuesday, also seeks to raise the minimum academic qualification for election as a governor, state and federal legislator.
Sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the 1999 constitution state that a person must be qualified for election into the aforementioned elective offices if he/she “has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent”.
But the new bill which is sponsored by Adewunmi Onanuga, a lawmaker from Ogun state, seeks to raise the qualification to at least a “university degree level or its equivalent”.
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.
Some workers’ unions have commenced a protest over the sack of workers of the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC) by the state government.
On Wednesday, the workers commenced the protest rally at the Ikeja under-bridge while heading towards the Lagos house of assembly complex in Alausa.
Workers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Unions of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and other unions are at the protest.
In April, the Lagos government announced the disengagement of 391 LWC workers “as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and meeting the evolving demands of the organisation”.
The state government said the corporation has been battling “financial and operational challenges, struggling to generate adequate revenue to meet its obligations”.
In December 2023, the state government also sacked 450 casual workers of the corporation.
Politics
“Fuel Subsidy Removal Was A Necessary Action To Prevent Nigeria From Going Bankrupt” – President Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that fuel subsidy was removed to save Nigeria from going bankrupt.
In as much as the hardship in the country has taken a toll on both the rich and the poor, Especially the poor, President Tinubu has justification for the decision he took on fuel subsidy removal.
Speaking as one of the panelists at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, April 28, Tinubu said he was convinced it was in the best interest of the people.
He said;
“For Nigeria, we are immensely consistent with belief that the economic collaboration and inclusiveness are necessary to engender stability in the rest of the world.
“Concerning the question of the subsidy removal, there is no doubt that it was a necessary action for my country not to go bankrupt, to reset the economy and pathway to growth.
“It is going to be difficult, but the hallmark of leadership is taking difficult decisions at the time it ought to be taken decisively. That was necessary for the country.
“Yes, there will be blowback, there is expectation that the difficulty in it will be felt by greater number of the people, but once I believe it is their interest that is the focus of the government, it is easier to manage and explain the difficulties.
“Along the line, there is a parallel arrangement to really cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on the vulnerable population of the country. We share the pain across board, we cannot but include those who are vulnerable.
“Luckily, we have a very vibrant youthful population interested in discoveries by themselves and they are highly ready for technology, good education committed to growth.
“We are able to manage that and partition the economic drawback and the fallout of subsidy removal.”
As a Nigerian citizen, what do you think about the Government’s decision to avert bankruptcy by removing fuel subsidy?
The Governor Of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has pioneered the distribution of food to the people of the state who are in dire need. He said this is in collaboration with the Federal Government to reduce the economic hardship in the country.
Via his social media platform, He wrote;
“Earlier today, we flagged off another round of palliative distribution in our state.
This is a collaborative effort between our administration and the federal government to cushion the effects of the economic hardship in the country.
I have directed the committee in charge of the palliative distribution to ensure that the items get to those in dire need of them.”
Here are pictures from the palliative distribution flag off.
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