Post-Independence; Education in Nigeria

Post- Speak Up Nigeria

Hello, my fellow compatriots. Happy belated 47th independence anniversary to our dear Nigeria. It pains me that I could not be with you all, by putting up a D-Day post in commemoration of that grand occasion. Needless to say, the campaign went on smoothly and my fellow compatriots did a great job in helping our dear country feel loved and at the same time, not ignoring and bringing to the fore, a lot of issues that need addressing. I went through the letters submitted by contestants on the Speak Up Nigeria Campaign, amongst other personal posts on different blogs and I must say i got goosebumps, you know, good goosebumps, the type you get when something is just sooooo sweet. Butterflies twirled in my tummy as I read each of these auspicious messages. Congratulations Omotaylor on coming out as the winner of the competition. I am proud to be Nigerian. There are a lot of us out there who make us proud and if not for anything else, it helps divert attention from the ills plaguing our society, but directs positive energy toward looking for solutions to each and everyone of these national issues. No doubt, we are getting there. Baby steps is all that is needed but we surely will get there. Amen.

University Education

A lot has happened, personally and secularly and while most isn't funny, I try to ride through it. It's the spirit, eh? But in the midst of those events, I have been itching to air my views on this very disturbing issue. The issue in question is about (Turin) Tomi, the UniLag student who reportedly offed himself due to pressure from 'school' and all that went with it. The issue struck a wrong cord in me and I have been very bitter ever since. The suicide rate in Nigeria is not as much as countries such as Japan and there's a joke that Nigerians love life so much that they'd rather live with their head way in doodie than kill themselves. Yes, life is good, and a lot of us are good at handling stress. Whatever prompted this young man to take his life must have been so aggravating, and no doubt it was. I'm not saying schooling does not go with some measure of stress. Nothing good comes easy and all the pressures that go with meeting deadlines are part of what makes the effort worthwhile in the end, because it prepares one for the busy post-education life. What I'm talking about here is unnecessary stress from sadist lecturers. supervisors and people in positions of authority in our higher institutions. Stress that shouldn't be there in first place. Stress that one can and should avert.

Of course, (Turin) Tomi's suicide has not solved the issue and that is where my angst comes in. The underlying problem is still there and a lot of other students are out there going through the same shit, over and over. All the issues our older siblings go through replicates itself when the younger generation get into the educational system. If nothing is done, our kids would also be victims of the same anomaly. They will have to go through an issue they shouldn't have faced in the first place, simply because we have let these things slip through our hands unsolved.

A lot of people are discouraged because of all these. Our institutes of higher learning are looked at in askance, with dread. This is a malfunction and should be corrected because this fear skewers the intention for wanting to go into a university for education. Now the worry isn't just about how I would see myself through my schooling but also WHY DO I HAVE TO undergo such unnecessary rigors? The system in our universities is dysfunctional. Education is a right! Education should be enjoyable and every effort should be made to present things in this light. With the right educated minds running things, most maladies in society can be kept at a reasonable balance. But what happens when things are the opposite? Now I'm talking about where to get the right treatment. Does it mean my kid cannot be sure of a proper and enabling study environment if I cannot get him/her into Covenant, Babcock, Igbinedion or whatever other private universities are out there? Is the system in Federal & state universities so warped and frustrating that things cannot just be done the right way? Lecturers are expected to be good custodians, but why do they have to hurt students in their custody? Why do most of them choose to be sadists? The system in turn churns out students who are out on a vengeance. It is common to hear people saying they will not go through all of that mess for nothing. They will take out their anger on others who they find in subordinate positions. It's a vicious cycle!

A few lecturers I've spoken to say most students are unserious and they do not know why they are in school. Granted, he has a point! Just like there are a few good male and female lecturers in the school system, there are also serious-minded students out there. There's no justification for lobbing all students together as unserious, dishing out collective punishment. If there is an unserious child in your tutelage, approach him/her and take the necessary corrective measures, instead of maltreating everyone.

You hear lecturers telling students they are doomed to failure, without any reasonable point given as to such an eventuality. Students walk about in fear, attend classes in fear, take tests in fear, expect their results in fear. You cannot be confident in your ability because those who should be there to help you are willing to tap into this undue fret and take advantage.

Another reason why some students are scared of standing up in the face of this vice is this nonchalance on the part of lecturers towards their students' needs has been entrenched in the schools for a long time that it is hard to root it out. It is more like the mafia, some lecturers and students alike are known cultists, so it's a standoff. Who makes the first hit and does it right. Students are afraid to voice their concerns and when they do, it is never orderly; no dialog, just downright chaos. You hear of riots and the eventual shut down of schools for MONTHS. The lecturers shouldn't feel threatened or else they threaten your career future, if not life. So the cycle of fear gets passed down from one academic session to the other, from one graduating class to the next.

Fear is still the enemy. These bad lecturers thrive on the pretext that they are untouchables. Their corruption will keep going unchecked and they will keep getting fattened up in the expense of someone else' child. They know they can get away with being someone else's worst nightmare. But the problem is it shouldn't be in a school environment. As long as we are timid to speak up, there will be no way to act against seeing an end to this menace in our society.

When under attack, it is natural to run. But the problem is running away from the problem does not fix it, instead it's going to keep creeping on you, it will keep haunting you until it overtakes you. But when you find yourself cornered with nowhere else to run, and your attacker keeping up behind, unrelenting in his resolve to hurt you, you have to turn and face your attacker to fend him off, until he no longer poses a threat. That is how this issue should be tackled. This problem where lecturers ride roughshod, and feel they cannot be touched. That is so wrong!

I am not scared of anyone. I don't owe my existence to anyone. How many more would bleed, how many more would have to go the same way as Tomi before we say "No more!"? How many female students would have to lose their self-esteem by sleeping with the lecturers before we say "No More!". How many futures will have to be jeopardized and scarred before the people in the right places would be notified so they can take the right, long-lasting action against these injustices? Laide here mentioned that most of these lecturers have blogs so students can submit assignments online (good stuff). At the same time, there's the fear of repercussion for speaking out against any kind of misdemeanors, since the lecturers could find out which student is behind a particular blog and thus blackmail such student (bad stuff).

Nigerian youth are a tough lot. I believe if we want to do something, with the right attitude, it can be done. We are more informed now than our peers back in the late eighties. There is no need to suffer in silence. We are more motivated now because our eyes are open and we know our rights. It is about taking it. There is power in number. With a great majority of students taking up pickets in protest, or taking the necessary measures, things can be done right. We can start somewhere, no matter how small, or as the case may be, how big we accomplish. This is a big issue that has been malignantly extant for a long time now, and it still is a threat if not checked. There is no need pretending like this problem is not there just because you are not currently affected. Sooner or later, you would probably see yourself singing the blues ki'n se epe - (it's not a curse) - well, that is as long as you have a child, nephew, niece, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, mother, father studying/working or intending to do so in either of these shit holes we call our universities. Enough is enough! It is time to bring these guys to book! I'm quasi-part of the system, so I can only work from the outside. Those of you in the schools, there should be people you can talk to, so they'd get the word out and a first line of action can be thought out. If it's a picket protest, I'd be out with my tees, shots and sneakers sweating my butt off with y'all.

Students of UniLag, UI, Great Ife, OSU, Great UI, all Nigerian students out there, others used to be part or still are quasi-part of the system; do you read me?! Hola if you do!

Aluta, continua!

Let's Do It

DISCLAIMER: This is a spur of the moment post, so try and connect the loose ends.

I am Nigerian! From my childhood, there's been an endless bombardment of fear, which I won't bother listing here. But from those of us who grew up in the traditional family, you can identify with the whole conservatism. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being unaccepted. Fear of failure. Fear of this, fear of that. Most of our lives has been hijacked by fear and it impedes progress. But now, things are taking shape as I try to fight these traits I find unacceptable and unrealistic in step with the times.

As a people, unfortunately, that inborn fear is almost taking an intrinsic feature in our lives. It shows its ugly head more often in decisions we make. Just like any other proud Nigerian out there, I will love to see this country reach its full potential and exceed it. Giant of Africa this, economic/financial hub of Africa that, the efforts have to start somewhere. Just read this interesting and provocative article by Chxta and all that went with it. Funny how people tend to misread intentions (as is obvious by talkbacks to that post), but I'm not going to assail any of the opinions therein, here. The thing is efforts need to be collective. There's power in numbers. While there is definitely going to be differing opinions on how to get us "there", synergy is needed, not bad-talking.

I tend to be a groupie and while that word carries some negative nuances there is nothing wrong with trying to get things done with the help of others. At the same time, it is wrong trying to defer things to other people, to get the work done for you. That attitude doesn't help with progress. And that is another attitude prevalent in our society, trying to shirk responsibility. Why should I hurt myself and let others have the fun? You know, poke the task with a stick from a safe distance, no need dirtying my hands. In the end, we'd all celebrate the success. Now when there's success, we see people trying to take credit for what isn't rightfully theirs. That attitude does not help! I am not immune to this, some times, on some matters. It is a fight between what I am and what I am trying to be and striving to be it. When there's failure, I take responsibility. It's hard to be brutally honest, but how many people out there are willing to take the smear, even if it is temporal and would help make things better in the long run?

It takes time and an overall overhaul of our thought process and actions. Education is important (duh). Sacrifices HAVE TO be made. For those who have already taken up their lance and shield. Kudos, and way to go! And for the rest who are struggling, but are yet to be on the front line, but are making every effort to be useful and contribute meaningfully (in this category I fall in), may we muster enough gumption for what lies ahead. It would not be easy, but with unity and a common goal, we can get ourselves there. No need trying to outdo the other person or try to tear down his efforts. Where he is lacking, you try to help, but at the same time you watch your back so you don't break while helping.

A great number of Nigerians don't think. And when they eventually think, they are afraid of what the result of such thinking will mean for them. They'd rather deal with the status quo, no matter how bad it is. And still, even when the change does come, there will be a lot of bad-talking and resistance to change. It's good to criticize, but constructive criticism is what helps. "Patching up" will not help! It is time to "fix it", it is time to push for change. As Catty said in one of her posts, "...they are too busy with the business of surviving." There's too much struggling to do trying to get food on the table, to even have any time to bother about being creative. It's a vicious cycle! Of course it isn't an enabling environment, but there's no reason to despair or balk. There's much word around that motivates on "what to do", now there should be a shift to "time to do", which is NOW.

I'm a groupie and I'm game for change. I'm ready to do what it takes to help build a life for my society, myself, and my unborn loved ones. Let's do it!

A lovely weekend to y'all.