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Reps Reject Bill To Change Educational Qualification For President, Vice, Others
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives on Tuesday stepped down a bill seeking to change the minimum requirement for the office of President , Vice President, National Assembly members and other political office from first school leaving certificate to degree or its equivalent.
This was sequel to the passage of a bill sponsored by Rep. Adewunmi Onanuga on Tuesday at plenary.
The bill was titled: “A Bill for an Act to Alter the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to change the Educational Qualification for Elections into Certain Political Offices and for Related Matters”.
Debating on the general principles of the bill, Onanuga called on the House to look critically into educational qualification of political office holder stating that Nigeria has moved passed school leaving certificate as the minimum requirement to contest political office, adding that degree or it’s equivalent should be made minimum requirement.
Speaking in favour of the bill, Babajimi Benson from (Lagos state) said: “Anyone who is going to oppose this bill should tell if his son or daughter is in the university or not. I can’t believe that in this modern age some people will say don’t go to school but yet go and be the president”.
Professor Julius Ihonvbare said: “We all know what the world is today. A world were knowledge is power, we see leaders of other nations who make excellent presentation but here we have leaders dodging debate .I don’t think this requirement should apply to all political offices, for local government it might not be required but for President , Vice National Assembly members should be required to own a degree”.
For Rep. Leke Abejide, “The world has moved, Nigeria should not be left behind, We put a mediocre to head an important political office we will end up in disaster.
Rep. Alfred Iliah, added that educational qualification is very important and the bedrock of every society. According to him, qualification of every National Assembly members should be looked into if the country must make progress.
Rep. Mustapha Aliyu from (Sokoto ), stated that the amendment was long overdue. He added: “Education is bedrock the development of any society. For those contesting for executive seat should have a degree, however the jump from leaving school to degree is too wide, I will propose that there should be middle course”.
Shetimma lawal from (Borno) said that the requirement for Governance should cut across all level from the highest to the lowest .
He added: “For politicians we are only providing leadership, political offices should be categorized”.
Rep. Kingsley Chinda, House Minority Leader, while endorsing the bill, remarked on the declining standard of education, stating that raising educational requirements would motivate Nigerian youth. He emphasized the importance of backing this effort wholeheartedly.
“Why do we say a primary school holder should be given . We should do the right thing”, he said.
Speaking against the bill, Aliyu Madaki from (Kano), said the leadership quality of a political office holder is not determined by your level of education .
“What ever we are trying to do is for all Nigerians. I have an MBA in Financial Management but restricting other with qualifications will not carry all Nigerians along . All Nigerians should be allowed to participate and exercise their leadership qualities.
Bashir Sokoto from (Sokoto) said, “We were privilege to go to university, but we have less privilege Nigerians who cannot afford to go to the university. I propose that we allow minimum requirement for political office holders to remain school cert”.
Hon Ahmed Jaha from Borno said passing the bill will negatively affect some section of the country, he insisted that educational qualification was not a true taste of knowledge.
“Qualification alone is not a true taste of knowledge . We are doing laws for good governance and for peace in this country. We will not do laws that will favour only a few number of Nigerians . How many Nigerians are degree holders America that we refer to have done greatly in educating its citizens’s but here in Nigeria how what have we done in improving our education system”, he stated. .
Also speaking against the bill, Inuwa Garba from (Gombe ) said “the mover of this bill is not aware of what is happening in some part of this country.
“Some schools in some part of the country have been shot down for a while now. Certificate is not true test of knowledge
The bill is discriminatory against some people”.
The bill was therefore stepped down after a heated debate by the presiding officer Hon Banjamin Kalu.
News
Dangote’s Net Wealth Doubles to $28bn on New Refinery
Nigerian billionaire and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, Aliko Dangote, has seen his net worth double to $28 billionollowing the commencement of operations at his long-anticipated oil refinery.
As reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Thursday, the launch of Nigeria’s highly anticipated oil refinery, now fully operational, has substantially boosted the wealth of the nation’s industrial magnate.
Dangote’s refinery, situated within the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, stands as the world’s largest single-train oil refinery and one of the most advanced, with the capability to process a wide range of global crude oil types.
“It has the potential to transform Nigeria’s economy by making the country self-sufficient in fuel production. And it has more than doubled his net worth to $27.8 billion,” stated Bloomberg.
Expectations are high, with reports suggesting the refinery is set to reshape Nigeria’s energy sector by producing refined petroleum products domestically, potentially ending the country’s dependence on fuel imports.
Analysts predict Dangote’s wealth could grow even further in the coming months.
As the refinery ramps up production and expands its portfolio of refined products, Dangote is poised to dominate Nigeria’s fuel market, with plans to export a portion of the output to other African nations.
At 67, Dangote has built most of his wealth through his 86 per cent stake in Dangote Cement, a company valued at over $9 billion, with operations in ten African countries.
In addition to cement, the Dangote Group has interests in sectors such as food production, fertilisers, and real estate.
News
Shocker as ‘dead man’ attends own burial rites in Kenya
The family of Abdalla Mwenda Suleiman, who was presumed dead, have been left in shock after he returned home to find a body believed to be his already buried. The incident, which occurred last Tuesday in Loire village near Mutuati market in Meru Country, has left many in disbelief.
Mwenda, a 20-year-old miraa picker, was mistakenly buried on October 4 after his family misidentified a body found in a house he once shared with his estranged wife in Mutuati market, as reported by the Nation.
“Since my work is picking miraa, I move from one place to another and I am rarely at home. I’m shocked to find that my family buried me,” said Mwenda in dismay.
Mwenda, who had separated from his wife and moved to Nthanbiro, 20 kilometers away, returned to discover his family had mistakenly buried him. Shocked, Mwenda explained his transient lifestyle as a miraa picker keeps him away from home.
Interestingly, a colleague mentioned they had passed by his home during the burial. The grave, located by Mutuati-Antubetwe Kiongo Road, is visible from the tarmac.
“We left Nthambiro in Igembe Central on Friday and travelled to another farm in Mutuati. We passed by Mwenda’s home and he wondered why there were so many people at his home but we proceeded.”
“On Sunday, as we were packaging miraa, someone broke the news that Mwenda had been buried yet he was alive. Mwenda was so shocked that he could not work. He went to sleep,” the colleague recounted.
After recovering from the shock, Mwenda went home to verify the bizarre news of his burial.
When the Nation visited on Tuesday, they found an atmosphere of grief and despair. The fresh grave, with an arrowroot plant thriving, drew locals who hoped the police had come to exhume the body.
Mwenda’s father, Meeme M’Nchebere, a resident of Voi, was found asleep after spending the night guarding the grave.
“We have been given strict instructions to ensure the body is not stolen. The police said the matter is sensitive since the deceased was murdered. I have to keep vigil throughout the night,” he said.
M’Nchebere revealed that his son had to flee the village because he couldn’t bear seeing a grave with his name. He admitted they mistakenly buried the wrong body because he was unable to view it before the burial.
“I live in Voi where I relocated more than 10 years ago. Mwenda was left behind in Meru. Recently, I received a call from neighbors who told me my son was dead. As a Muslim, I am not allowed to view a dead body. So we proceeded with the burial,” he recounted.
Mwenda’s father stated that the police informed him he needed to raise KSh 70,000 ($542) to cover the costs of obtaining a court order, a pathologist, and the exhumation of the wrongly buried body.
“I am a small trader in VOi and cannot raise the money the police want to exhume the body. I am currently surviving on well-wishes in the village. Neighbors are hesitant to help fundraise because they contributed to the botched burial,” he said.
M’Nchebere is now in a difficult situation, unable to return to his family in Voi or expedite the exhumation of the wrongly buried body. He faces the challenge of navigating both family tensions and legal hurdles.
Source: face2faceafrica.com
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