The former President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBC ), Archbishop Felix Alaba Job has on Saturday, said the crisis in the education sector has continued unresolved because the successive governments have ignored genuine calls to review the curriculum.
According to the 86-year old Archbishop, the stoppage in the teaching of History from the curriculum has undermined national identity.
The radical cleric broke his silence after a very long time in an interview with Arise News on the sidelines of the 13th convocation ceremony of Veritas University, Abuja where he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon.D.LITT) by authorities of the institution.
Job said the failure of government to reform the education system has created a generation that has been unable to distinguish between right and wrong.
The cleric, a former Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Ibadan Diocese, said that removing subjects like History from the curriculum was a dangerous decision.
He said despite warnings to leaders since the 1980s to do the right thing, government has kept a deafening silence.
Job said, “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.
“The point is that, the Yorubas have a proverb that if your neighbour is eating a frog, and you do not warn him, if you keep quiet because he’s just your neighbour, the noise from his throat will not allow you to sleep.
“We have spoken to government. But unfortunately, governments did not take heed. And therefore, 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.
“For some of us, we are on our way out. I call myself quarter to (go). I was a pupil teacher as far back as 1959. And then I went on, even up to University, and I came to teach. So, let me tell you, the government has injured the essence of education and needs to amend.”
Job who became a Bishop five years after his priestly ordination at a young age of 33, also dismissed allegations of corruption against religious leaders.
He said neither those in government nor outside of it are satisfied with the current state of affairs, adding that the dissatisfaction stems from a shared concern for humanity.
The cleric therefore told the government to address the spiritual and moral deficiencies plaguing Nigeria’s education system.
“We have tried to remove God from our educational system. And some of us have the courage to begin to say religious leaders are the ones who cause this. It is not true religious leaders.
“We are not talking about those who only use religion to make money. But religious leaders, true religious leaders, cannot do without ethics. We are not talking of those who look for their daily bread by calling themselves different names, giving themselves positions in life which they do not have,”, he said.
The cleric who appreciated Veritas University for honouring him, also said that more needs to be done to improve the University system.
The Vice chancellor of the University, Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku, said the institution in the past one year has performed excellently well both at national and international stage.
Amongst the feats, according to the VC, were the African Telecommunications Union Innovation Challenge in Nairobi won by students of the Software Engineering Department; Commonwealth Universities Debating Championship held in Rwanda; the Pan-African Universities Debating Championship; the AI Quiziton which was won by Veritas University among others. .
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, called on the graduating students to contribute positively to the development of the country, stressing the need for them to be pacesetters in their communities especially in this era of abundance information but acute shortage of wisdom.
The Asagba of Asaba, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN), blamed the crisis in the Universities on the economy which has nosedived and poor funding.
Friday Olokor
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