‘Successive leaders in Nigeria destroyed essence of education’

A former President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Alaba Job, has lamented that the failure to reform the education system created a generation who are unable to distinguish right from wrong.

Job blamed this phenomenon on successive governments for ignoring genuine calls to review the nation’s education curriculum.  The cleric, who was the former Archbishop Emeritus of Ibadan, noted that removing subjects like History from the curriculum undermines national identity.
He said despite warnings to leaders to do the right thing since the 1980s, government inaction has persisted.

“In 1984, my message to the nation was that if our educational system remained what it was, sooner or later, our children will not be able to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. And it has come to pass.

“We have spoken to the government. But unfortunately, it did not take heed. So, it is not just the curriculum, it is the spirit behind the curriculum that matters.

“When you remove, for instance, History from education, what do you want to tell us? That we should forget who we are? There is a need for the government to take action where it is necessary,” the cleric stated.

According to him, neither those in government nor outside of it are satisfied with the current state of affairs, adding that the dissatisfaction stemmed from a shared concern for humanity.

He urged the government to address the spiritual and moral deficiencies plaguing the country’s education system. The cleric who appreciated the university for honouring him, also noted that more needs to be done to improve the tertiary education sub-sector.

The Vice-Chancellor, Veritas University, Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku, said the institution in the past one year has performed excellently well both at national and international levels. 

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Rev Ignatius Kaigama, enjoined the graduating students to contribute positively to the development of the country, stressing the need for them to be pacesetters in their communities.