Nigeria; A place not worth studying

By Habibu Temako

Quite disheartening to see that we haven’t trained properly on how to speak/write well due to acute shortage of teachers, low-funding, lack of learning facilities, conducive environment, poor guidance and many more. Basically, this has become a chronic condition that left us with no option except to poorly communicate and relate how well we could understand ourselves even though with terrible grammatical errors.

There are, of course, many African countries with poor educational systems today but the problem with Nigeria’s educational system is the worst of all others. From kindergarten, primary to secondary schools and through tertiary institutions, there’s literally no impression or any littlest sign that Nigeria education is way better to be proud of than other African countries. Take the instance of our expression, especially to some of us who attended primary/secondary schools in our local communities we hardly speak consummately well. Quite disheartening to see that we haven’t trained properly on how to speak/write well due to acute shortage of teachers, low-funding, lack of learning facilities, conducive environment, poor guidance and many more. Basically, this has become a chronic condition that left us with no option except to poorly communicate and relate how well we could understand ourselves even though with terrible grammatical errors.

Furthermore, Nigeria, a country with high pride as a giant of African whose name is praised ahead of other African countries in home and abroad, has still remained backward in all aspects of developments. It’s because Nigeria has undervalued education and does not regard it as the only forward to have steady progress or “a key to success”. Sadly enough, being Nigerian student today is the greatest mischance ever that robbed our opportunities to explore valuable knowledge and, the ensuing state of distress about it is that the standard level of education in most tertiary institutions has declined to the core. That’s why most university students can not articulate a good final year project because we all lack the basic idea of the subject-topics we aren’t taught properly. This is, indeed, Nigeria education a place not worth studying.

Considering all this, to say that Nigeria will be great in the future is a delusion of grandeur for the future of the said leaders of tomorrow is in grave jeopardy. But yet our leaders keep telling their famous lies that we (the students and the prospective youth) are the leaders of tomorrow. They failed to ask themselves how the future would be when they’re maltreating the prospective youth and oppressing them with illiteracy. Or perhaps they’re not aware of their oppression when they say POLITICS (i.e to be governed) is not for the YOUNG. At least we know that education is currently undervalued in almost every nation but the case of Nigeria education is quite appalling— facing multitudes of problems that need to be revamped. Imagine a country that is academically backward is on strike for the solid three months and nothing has yet to be done.

Oh we’re indeed the leaders of tomorrow lazily sitting at home doing nothing while the real leaders of today are embezzling public funds. We are indeed the leaders of tomorrow having bachelor degree certificates with no job while the grandfathers of the country are opting for a greater position instead of retiring. We are indeed leaders of tomorrow, vibrant and intelligent enough to rule but we lost space in politics because we’re too young to rule while unhealthy and poor beautiful brains are leading us all the way. This is what Nigeria means when they make us sing the famous song “students/youth are the leaders of tomorrow. What a pity!!!

To round off this write-up, it’s noteworthy that it’s necessary to the government and its agencies at all levels to ensure that Nigeria education is improved in order to make the future seem great. And as they often say, “the future developments of any nation are tied in its youth” the government must make a right investment in education by nurturing a standard system of education that’ll be very competitive with our counterpart countries. Enough so, infrastructures in public schools and high funding is required from the governments and that’s a responsibility we should constantly remind our government. This way, Nigeria as a whole needs to take a strategic and redemptive step to revamp the already ruined education and save the future of the country.

Habibu Temako is a Public Affairs Analyst.