NANFeatures/Vol. 10/No.254/2016 (Nov.10)
The role of History in nation-building
A News Analysis by Obike Ukoh, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Some Nigerians have expressed concern about the recent scrapping of teaching of History in secondary and primary schools in the country.
Although they spoke at different fora, their opinions are the same; pointing to the need to restore History as a subject to school curriculum.
According to them, the removal of the subject in set of courses in schools poses a great danger to nation’s development.
They opine that History is so important that no nation should do without its teaching because it helps in understanding the past, predicting the future and learning from the mistakes or values of our ancestors.
Stressing its importance, Sen. Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), one of the advocates of the reintroduction of teaching of History, said that any nation that forgot its past had lost a beacon to guide its actions.
He spoke recently in Abuja at the presentation of a book, entitled “Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria.’’
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, said the removal of History as a subject in Nigerian schools was disturbing.
He said the development had cut off the younger generations of Nigerians from learning about the nation’s history and tradition as well as past mistakes.
“If countries, including the U.S., teach their students about their histories, why not Nigeria with its rich history and traditions.
“History helps a people to connect with the past and learn from past pitfalls,’’ Tinubu said.
Similarly, the Senate recently lent its support to the restoration of teaching of History as it passed a resolution asking the Federal Government to include the teaching of History and Civic Education in secondary schools to further inculcate the spirit of pan-Africanism in youths.
The senators urged the African Union to set aside a day for the celebration of former president of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the late Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the late President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, former President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and other pan-Africanists.
They also urged the Federal Government to erect a mausoleum in the Federal Capital Territory in honour and memory of Pan-Africanists and all who struggled for African unity and liberation.
According to the senators, the move became necessary as sacrifice made by these founding fathers of Africa had rapidly disappeared from the psyche of the present and future generation of Nigerians.
The resolutions were sequel to a motion by Sen. Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central, entitled “Need to include Pan-Africanism in Nigerian Secondary Schools Curriculum.’’
Sani’s motion was, however, amended to read: “Need to include History and Civic Education in Nigerian Secondary Schools Curriculum.’’
Moving the motion, Sani said if young Nigerians were not inspired about Africanism, the dream of our founding fathers about the unity of Africa “will be a mere tale.
“Nigeria, as the giant of Africa which has helped many African countries to attain self-rule, there is the need to inculcate the spirit of Pan-Africanism in the Nigerian child to be nurtured in a manner that we can continue to be our brothers’ keepers.
“The study of Pan-Africanism will also foster the objective of our founding fathers.
“We must ensure that we do not voluntarily surrender the dream of the founding fathers of Africa and considering the strategic importance of Nigeria in global affairs in general and Africa in particular.’’
Supporting the call by the Senate, a traditional ruler in Abia, Eze Joseph Ukoha-Anyanta, made a case for the reintroduction of teaching of History during the celebration of his community’s 2016 new yam festival.
Ukoha-Anyanta, the traditional ruler of Ibina-Ukwu Igbere Autonomous Community, Bende Local Government Area, said that reintroduction of the subject would boost the cultural reorientation programme and the Change Agenda of the present administration.
Similarly, the new Oba of Benin, Eheneden Erediauwa, Ewuare II, on his inauguration day underscored the importance of History, calling for the inclusion of Edo language and Benin History in schools’ curriculum.
“I advise my Benin people to try to maintain our culture, especially our language, by insisting on its use in communicating with their children and each other.
“We shall use cultural diplomacy as veritable tool for the promotion of harmonious relationship with our neighbours far and near.’’
“Our culture and tradition remain the one main factor that international community respects us for,’’ he said.
It is, perhaps, in the light of these opinions that the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to give a directive recently for immediate reintroduction of History as a subject in schools.
Addressing delegates of the 61st Meeting of the National Council on Education Ministerial Session, he appealed to the council to also consider making the study of Christian Religious Knowledge and the study of Islamic Religious Knowledge compulsory for both Christians and Muslims at the senior secondary school level.
Adamu said reintroduction of History as a subject in basic schools would give the Nigerian child a self identity on who they really are.
He added that Nigeria owed both the present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against opportunities of acquiring morals and ethics as taught in the religious traditions.
“It is only the study of History, our own history that can explain and give meaning to our very humanity and that is why we must study it and teach our little ones.
“It is also not enough that they merely know who they are, we must teach them about their God, since it is said that if you want to destroy any nation, it is either first the family is destroyed, then the education is destroyed and third the social morals is destroyed.
“In Nigeria, we owe both the present and future generations the responsibility to remove all inhibitions against making our children acquire morals and ethics,’’ the minister insisted.
On separation of Social Studies as subject so that History can stand on its own as directed by the minister, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research Development Council, said the separation was a welcome development.
He said that the archaic way of burying history under social studies was outdated, adding that this had not given the subject the priority it deserved.
“ Putting History under anything is not good, because you have to give it the prominence it deserves.
“History is too important to be put under any umbrella or any cover that is why now we find it very necessary to bring it out of the woods as they would say.
“Children will now clearly know who they are; they will know where they are, and it is only when you know where you are that you will know where you are going.
“So it is clearly very important that History is brought out to stand alone as a subject, particularly in that very crucial stage, that is at the primary and junior secondary school levels.
He said that the council would soon organise a workshop to re-train teachers, adding that the workshop would enable the teachers to be abreast of the knowledge of History.
“ Basically the challenge we have to deal with first is the re-training of teachers; yes, the facts of history are clear, but the interpretation we give to the fact matters.
“So we want to have a workshop to re-train the teachers with regards to what kind of interpretation we should be giving to our history.
“There are also challenges of textbooks to be written and the members of the Historical Society of Nigeria are well mobilised with regards to that,’’ he said.
He said that the council had also proposed to the minister of education and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) with regards to production of history textbooks for Nigerian history.
He said that the council was also proposing a visual production of the textbooks which would assist pupils at the primary school level to learn about the history of the country.
“For instance, when you talk about our traditional rulers like the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Kano and the Obi of Onitsha and so on, you need to teach by showing their pictures.
“They must be able to also visualise not just by words of mouth, but what they can see,’’ he said.
“Since the educational planners that removed the study of History without consultations had been compelled to reverse the decision, may it not happen again.
“No nation can make any serious headway without thorough knowledge of its history by the large majority of the citizens.
“The achievements and failures of the past can only be passed from one generation to another through the study of History,’’ he said.(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)