The Nigerian Senate has clarified that recent discussions about potentially raising the university entry age to 18 were personal opinions, not official decisions.
They emphasized that any changes to the age limit would need to go through proper legislative processes, whether they involve increasing or decreasing the limit.
Adeyemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, disclosed this during an interview with journalists on Wednesday.
Recall that last week, Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, stated that the government is thinking about changing the minimum age for entering universities to 18 years old.
“Comment on the minimum age requirement for admission is not a law,” the lawmaker said.
“So it is just an opinion. It’s not a law. By the time the Senate resumes, whoever wants to bring that one out to make it a law, will now bring it and then the procedures will take place.
He explained that for any proposal to become law, it must follow the standard legislative procedures, including being presented as a bill and undergoing public hearings where various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, legislators, civil society organizations, and even foreign bodies, can participate.
Adaramodu assured that regardless of the proposal, whether it suggests the minimum age should be 30 or 12, it would be thoroughly discussed in an open forum before becoming law. Thus, the current discussions are still at the comment stage and not legally binding.