Sir: The reason why Nigeria’s leaders deliberately conspired and expunged History as one of the subjects offered in both the elementary and secondary schools should not be hidden from those who have taken their time to study trends in Nigeria’s trajectories critically. There was certainly a dastardly purpose behind it which this letter hopes to expose.

Where leaders know their onions clearly, relentlessly efforts are made towards uplifting the greater majority of their citizens through provision of enabling environments with basic amenities and infrastructure needed to propel the advancement of the people in all ramifications. Governments exist for the greater good of all the citizens whereby everyone is able to achieve his greatest potential and live a life of fulfillment. 

But since things have continued to move from bad to worse in Nigeria due to the fact that successive governments have never been known to be proactive or fit into any picture of benevolence, Nigeria’s leaders are therefore so much afraid of allowing their own linen washed in the public by including history as a subject to be studied by learners in its schools.

Purposeful governance is possible only where the most enlightened citizens are allowed access to governance and charlatans are barred from even nursing any such ambitions. Nigeria’s greatest undoing is the incursion of people without requisite knowledge of public administration into elective positions. Money politics succeeded military rule and the nation simply moved from fry pan to fire as the race became that of who could steal more between the military and the civilians. 

Since money answereth all problems, those who rule the roads and who through such brazen lawlessness make mega bucks also venture into politics and even take over most of the core and key positions thereby unleashing successive governments of illiterates on a country with a diverse human and natural resources.

With little or nothing to count as achievements, and the fear of history not being kind to any perpetrators of bad or poor governance, Nigeria’s political leaders saw History as a subject to do away with so they can rule without any fear of records of failures traceable to them. Unknown to them, whether History is removed from the school curriculum or not, there are daily records and reports of each individual’s activities and Nigerians will always remember all those who rule without any iota of conscience. 

Jide Oyewusi is the coordinator of Ethics Watch International Nigeria.