As part of efforts geared towards
ensuring proper governance, the House of Representatives is perfecting plans to make first degrees in the form of Bachelors of Science/Art, B.SC/B.A or Higher National Diploma, HND, minimum qualifications for election into the offices of Nigeria’s President and governors, Vanguard reports.
The lower legislative chamber is also seeking to make a law that would make justiciable, lack of social infrastructure, such as health facilities, good roads, water, schools, among others, enshrined in chapter two of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) so that citizens can have the right to take government to court in breach of the laws.
Essentially, both bills sponsored by Ben Rollands Igbakpa representing Ethiope Federal Constituency of Delta State, are seeking alterations of the 1999 constitution (as amended) to provide for the new laws.
While the first bill is titled “A Bill for An Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and for Related Matters/Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Bill, 2020 (Increasing the Minimum Educational Qualification for President and Governors)”, the second one is also captioned “A Bill for An Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and for Related Matters/Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Bill, 2020 (to make chapter 11 of the constitution justiciable.”
The first bill is specifically demanding the alteration of Sections 131 and 177 of the 1999 Constitution.
“Section 131 of the Principal Act is altered in subsection (1), paragraph (d) by inserting immediate after the word “at least”, the word “a first degree from a University or Polytechnic or its equivalent
“Section 177 of the Principal Act is altered in subsection (1), paragraph (d) by inserting immediately after the word “at least”, the word “a first degree from a University or Polytechnic or its equivalent”, the Bill stated.
At the moment, the exact laws in section 131(d) provided that “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.’’
Similarly, section 177 (d) also provided that “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
The bills are expected to be listed for second reading in the House soon.
