By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the National Assembly will work toward reforming Nigeria’s education curriculum.
According to the statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Umar Mohammad Puma, and made available to Sundiata Post, Gbajabiamila said this while speaking at the third convocation ceremony organised by the University of Benin and the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja on Monday.
Represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, the Speaker said the reform is to ensure Nigeria’s education system is in tune with current trends across the globe.
He also harped on the need for increased funding for research and innovation activities in some of Nigeria’s institutions to help generate local solutions to the country’s challenges.
He said: “As part of our commitment to reform the education sector, the 9th Assembly will work with the Federal Ministry of Education to reform the national education curriculum to ensure that students are well equipped to meet the demands of modern times.
“In this regard, we also recognise the importance of sufficiently funding research and innovation activities in our specialised institutions and ensure that we generate local solutions to the challenges that confront us.”
The Speaker added that the National Assembly has also prioritised key national issues such as security, anti-corruption, gender equity, open governance and public health.
He said for the lawmakers to perform their duties effectively and reach desired goals, the National Assembly needs its institutional and human capacity strengthened.
“Specifically, in the 9th Assembly, we in the House of Representatives have defined a vision for ourselves which is “guided by considerations of the best interest of the Nigerian people”,” he said.
“As such, we have prioritised social justice and welfare. Some of the issues we intend to tackle head on include wealth creation, social and food security, prison reforms, internally displaced persons, protection of the girl child and environmental protection.
“For the National Assembly to perform optimally and make the kind of impact we envisage, we must continually develop our expertise, knowledge and technical capacity in various aspects of legislative functions.”
Gbajabiamila further harped on the need for the NILDS to move to its permanent site to help the legislative arm perform its functions effectively.
According to him, “the ultra-modern facility will allow the Institute to expand and affiliate with other renowned institutions of learning including John Hopkins University – all of which have indicated interest in partnering with the Institute.
“It is because of this that the leadership of the 9th Assembly has committed itself to making sure that the Institute finally moves to the permanent site soonest.”
