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Bill To Reduce Minimum Age Requirement For Gov. Passes Second Reading
A bill seeking to change the 1999 constitution to reduce the minimum age required to contest for the office of Governor and for election into the Senate from 35 to 30 years passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Reduce the Age for Qualification for Membership of the Senate and Office of the Governor and for Related Matters (HB. 2235)’ was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Mbo/Okobo/Oron/Udung Uko/Urue Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Esin Martin Etim and twenty-four other lawmakers.
DAILY POST reports that Nigeria’s constitution stipulates that candidates for the Senate and governorship must be at least 35 years old, while those seeking election to the House of Representatives may contest from age 25.
However, Etim argued that the current age threshold limits opportunities for young lawmakers aspiring to higher political office.
According to him, the 10-year gap restricts the political progression of young legislators, especially those who enter the House at 25 and complete two four-year terms by age 33, yet remain ineligible to contest for Senate or governorship.
He further explained that the legislation proposes to reduce the required age from 35 to 30, maintaining a five-year gap between eligibility for the House of Representatives and the higher offices.
The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, thereafter put the bill to a voice vote without debate, and majority of lawmakers supported its second reading.
Abbas referred the bill to the House Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative action.
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Breaking: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage, FG Faces Fresh Salary Pressure
The Federal Workers Forum, FWF, has demanded an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, noting that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The Forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The workers also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on a monthly salary of N1.5 million, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn N300,000.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the Forum said.
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The FWF argued that the Federal Government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
“It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” it said.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in August 2026, demanded an upward review of the minimum wage to N500,000.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government increased the minimum wage to N70,000 per month from N30,000.
However, the cost of living for many Nigerians has tripled between 2024 and 2026.
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BREAKING NEWS: ‘No Support For Military Coup in Niger’ – FG
The Federal Government has said Nigeria will never support a military coup or any unconstitutional change of government, following claims that the country backed a failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the claims circulating on social media are baseless and misleading.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria remained committed to democracy, constitutional rule and political stability in West Africa and would not support any attempt to remove a government through unconstitutional means.
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“Nigeria will never support illegality or unconstitutional change of government anywhere, no matter who is involved or which country is concerned,” he said.
The minister also rejected claims that Nigeria, through its membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported or endorsed the military takeover in Niger.
He said the Federal Government had already stated its position on the situation in Niger in an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria remains deeply concerned about developments in Niger and wants the country to return peacefully to stability and constitutional order.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s close historical, cultural and fraternal ties with Niger made peace and stability in the neighbouring country particularly important.
“Nigerians at home and abroad should disregard the videos and narratives circulating online, they are intended to create confusion and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” the statement said.
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