EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS, OUR POLITY AND STATE OF DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

 

Education is the bedrock of modern societies in the world today.
The late South African president, Nelson Mandela has said. “Education is the most Powerful Weapon you can use to change the world” If this assertion is true, why then does this matter less when it comes to academic qualification of political office holders in Nigeria?.

According to Aristotle, Education is to develop and excercise a students potential for reasoning and ethical character, provide skills and knowledge base to develop dispositions and habits in forming human ethos.

A company recently announced vacancy for the position of director, corporate service. The academic requirement for such a position is a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in personnel management, public administration, business administration or any other related subject. This is just for an individual that will serve a specified purpose in a given company.

Unfortunately, in vying for political positions in Nigeria, the constitution stipulates that one must be educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent, apart from being a citizen of the country and above 35 years.
This age-long trend has been the standard for political office holders in a country of over 200milion people, where academic qualification to any corporate position matters as the air we breath, but matters less when it comes to occupying political offices that determine the Certainty of our sovereignty by occupying the most vintage position of policy formulations and implimentations

While a school of thought sees no anomaly in the constitutionally set standard, another feels the time is long over due for a review of such standard, believing that it may bring a turn around in the country’s quest for sustainable development.
Though it was acknowledged that possessing higher educational qualifications does not guarantee good governance and leadership, as character and integrity are paramount; notwithstanding, The dynamism of the world today, the training of those aspiring to occupy positions of Leadership has become imperative, Experts have argued that people of great intellect should be given a chance to govern.

They maintained that if higher educational qualification is needed to employ an individual that would take up a particular responsibility in a given organisation, because is believe to improve your personal performance on the assigned duty, then a double of such should be recommended for those that will be saddled with the responsibility of administering the states and the nation.

You will recall that a non-governmental organisation, Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, and other well meaning individuals re among those questioning the standard, as well as campaigning for upgrade of educational qualification of political office holders in Nigeria.

Despite the current limitations place on us by the 1999 constitution as amended, it is very important to say that the time has come for all stakeholders to come together and brainstorm on upgrading the academic qualification of political office holders and making relevant amendment in the interest of the growth of our country(Nigeria).

Specifically, it is time, for the National Assembly to look into the matter and act on it by way of constitutional amendment or enactment of a new law.

As Aptly suggested by Mr. Speaker of the house of Representatives few days ago, there is an urgent need “to mandatorily, constitutionally and statutorily raise the qualification for political offices in Nigeria, This is an idea that’s long over due, And will be most charitable as we bequeath a legacy that geared towards sustainable development which remains in the annals of history.

We cannot cohere to the old and accient ways of resolving puzzles, imagine banking today with the old method of ledger and cash books and the attendant suffering it would have brought to us, the world today is on a fast-lane.

They are today divers opportunity and avenue for those who feel or having a leading to assume position of leadership with little or no qualifications to brush up, As there’s no age barrier for education.

Leadership should not be accidental but intentional and planned.

ISAAC ODANG OCHAPA.
Aspirant, Ado State Constituency,
Benue State House of Assembly.
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