By Lateef Ositelu
The study of history has virtually been abandoned in most of the nation’s primary and secondary schools. Scholars and experts who know the importance of the study of history have decried the current neglect and warned against the nonchalant attitude of the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders, which is denying Nigerian children the opportunity of understanding their past.
The adverse effect of this development on the behaviour of young Nigerians cannot be over-emphasized. There is, therefore, a need for the National Council on Education (NEC) to re-assess its decision and chart a new course aimed at rejuvenating the neglected study of history. It should ensure that the subject is re- introduced in the national curriculum and that more attention is paid to exposing pupils to the core aspects of their indigenous history and culture.
The re-introduction of history as a subject in all the schools in the country will not affect the existence of other subjects like social study, civic education, geography and government, as they all have their relevance in promoting academic excellence.
But more importantly, it is pathetic today that many Nigerian pupils are oblivious of the history of their fatherland as some education stakeholders have deliberately deleted the subject from the national curriculum and banished it from the consciousness of the younger generation.
The effect of this deliberate action has given free passage to the incursion of European, American and Asian history and culture, which has further bastardised our vision as a nation. The younger generation are thirsty for information and are curiously grasping at any available means of gathering information about their past to enrich their knowledge.
But unfortunately, they have been starved and technologically driven far away from acceptable norms by foreign history and culture. The government at all levels as well as stakeholders should see the study of history as salient to nation building and quickly salvage the situation to forestall Nigerian children being swept away out right by the torrent of foreign culture.
The behavioral pattern of Nigerian children will tilt towards all manner of untoward behavior and foreign ways of life. This will deal a blow on their psyche. It has been discovered that Nigerian children have for about one decade now been suffering from trauma or what could be tagged as psychological misdemeanor arising from the deluge of negative foreign culture they are exposed to on various media. These misdemeanors range from lack of respect for elders, cultism, poor and improper way of dressing, violent character and gangsterism, which are now prevalent in the country.
How do we erase the epical administrative prowess of old Oyo empire under the control of Alafin who colonized and suppressed Dahomey (the present day Republic of Benin) and subjected the people to annual tributes from 1743 up till when the central authority empire began to collapse in 1780 due to the internal crisis that erupted between Alafin and Afonja, the Kakanfo who secretly invited Hausa/Fulani Jihadists under the leadership of Alimi to depose the Alafin?
The internal crisis which eventually led to the collapse of the old Oyo Empire made Dahomey to assert its political independence around 1818. Or how on earth can someone detest the socio-economic and political teaching of Usman Dan fodio, the jihadist, who reestablished the concept of Islam across northern Nigeria, even down to the West as well as peripheral of Eastern Nigeria, redefining the political landscape of the affected regions with a political ideology tagged “Caliphate”. More so, the history of Agho Obaseki readily comes to mind. It illustrates the ingenuity of Benin arts and rich culture of craftwork as well as political and military prowess of the kingdom is quite resounding.
Regrettably, the kingdom eventually fell in 1897 to the supremacy of the British invaders. Things fell apart as the European raiders sacked the rich cultural values of the kingdom and sent Oba Ovonramwen N’ Ogbaisi on exile to Calabar. There is no gainsaying the fact that the study of history is germane to nation building, as some people ignorantly may want to put it on a supremacy contest with other subjects and disciplines so as to discredit its importance. We should know that history is the core of the academic template of all disciplines.
It is the aggregate of all records and events. In other words, the study of history translates to information and knowledge gathering, equivalent to research work, understanding leadership principles bordering on governance and government, culture and norms, investigations, discoveries in medicine, socio- economic planning and beefing up of security among others.
It must be emphasised that the history of a people and their culture are too important elements that must not be handled with levity, otherwise such people will lack direction and heritage.
The future of this country is bright but there are some steps that must be urgently taken to address some cultural misdemeanors by reverting back to teaching of pupils about the history and culture of our land. It may surprise many people that our history that is not so much regarded as key to Nigeria’s socio-economic development has become a core subject of study by some Europeans who have developed keen interest in learning African history and culture even right in Europe.
Ositelu writes from Abeokuta.
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