The House of Representatives has expressed concern over the potential disenfranchisement of Nigerian youths, particularly those enrolled in higher education institutions. This issue arises as many schools are scheduling examinations close to the upcoming general elections. During a plenary session on Thursday, the House called on the National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, and the Federal Ministry of Education to instruct all tertiary institutions to suspend academic activities during the election period.
Additionally, the House urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to implement special arrangements that would allow students to collect their Permanent Voter Cards. To facilitate this process, lawmakers mandated the House Committees on Tertiary Education and Electoral Matters to collaborate with the relevant agencies and report back to the chamber within one week for further legislative action.
These resolutions were made following the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, introduced by House member Kabir Tukura. The motion was titled “Urgent Need to Give the Students of Tertiary Institutions of Learning in Nigeria an Opportunity to Vote in the General Elections.” Tukura highlighted that there are currently over 2.1 million students in Nigerian universities and more than 2.4 million students in polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education across the country. He pointed out that the academic calendars of various tertiary institutions are structured in a manner that often leads to the disenfranchisement of students, as these calendars do not account for the timelines and dates of elections.
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