…Jega Calls for Urgent Reform of Nigeria’s Judiciary, Electoral System

Former President of Mauritius and the country’s first female head of state, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, has urged Nigeria and the African continent to place education at the core of their development agenda, describing it as the most vital tool for transforming Africa’s future.

Gurib-Fakim made the call on Thursday during the Democracy Day edition of The Platform, a national thought leadership event organised by The Covenant Nation in Iganmu, Lagos State.

In her address, Gurib-Fakim acknowledged the challenges facing the education sector across Africa but emphasized that the continent also possesses significant strengths that can be harnessed to improve learning outcomes and drive innovation.

“Happy Democracy Day from Mauritius to Nigeria,” she greeted the audience warmly, before stating, “Education remains the biggest transformation that this continent needs. I am pleased to speak on how sound education can reshape our continent.”

The former president lamented Africa’s low global output despite its large population. “Our continent is home to 17% of the world’s population, yet we produce just about 3% of global GDP and bear 25% of the global disease burden,” she said.

Despite these sobering statistics, Gurib-Fakim expressed optimism, citing the continent’s youthful population and growing demand for higher education as a unique opportunity for growth.

She stressed that African universities must adapt to evolving needs by offering relevant, quality education that prepares graduates for future challenges.

“Universities must strike a balance between expanding access, maintaining quality assurance, and ensuring that their courses are relevant to societal needs,” she said. “We cannot possibly imagine all the problems an engineer or technician will face in 20 or 30 years, but our education must equip them with the tools to solve such problems and the flexibility to continually re-educate themselves.”

Meanwhile, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, who also spoke at the event, called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s judiciary and electoral processes to enhance transparency and public trust.

Jega criticized the recruitment and selection processes in Nigeria’s public institutions, citing cronyism and a lack of competence and integrity as major obstacles.

“The Nigerian judiciary urgently needs reform,” he said. “Around the world, the judiciary is seen as the last bastion of hope for the common man. In Nigeria, unfortunately, it is far from fulfilling that role.”

He stressed the need for timely and impartial adjudication of election-related cases, advocating for all electoral disputes to be resolved before the swearing-in of elected officials.

“It should be mandatory that all election disputes are resolved before the swearing-in of executives,” Jega said. “Contradictory court orders must be eliminated, and pre-election cases must be determined speedily. It’s unacceptable for such cases to drag on for years.”

He recalled a case where an election dispute from 2011 was not concluded until 2014—by which time the elected official had already completed their term. “That’s not justice,” he said, though he acknowledged that the final verdict did deliver some form of consolation.