Olusegun Obasanjo, a former President of Nigeria, expressed strong disapproval of the exclusion of History from the country’s educational Curriculum, labelling it as a monumental catastrophe. During his role as Chairman of the public lecture, he made this statement at the joint gathering of the Africa Methodist Council Heads of Conference Summit and Women’s Movement Leadership Summit. Starting from the 2009/2010 academic year, primary and secondary schools no longer included history studies in their curriculums due to a decision made by the federal government.
The government made a decision in 2019 to bring back the subject that had previously been removed. Obasanjo criticized the dismissal, comparing it to forgetting a significant part of a person’s past. His statement made it clear that he strongly believed in the importance of teaching history in schools, questioning the misguided notion that it should not be included in the curriculum. Losing one’s memory would be catastrophic, akin to a disaster of immense proportions.
It is essential that proprietors prioritize teaching History.
Till date, the source of this information remains unknown to him. Many individuals believe that there are certain aspects of history that Nigeria is hesitant to confront. In the life of every person, there exists a balance of negative and positive experiences. As the owner of a school, it is essential that proprietors prioritize teaching History in a thorough and accurate manner. Ultimately, the lessons learned from History are left to the interpretation and discretion of each individual.
More so, the black race has endured unparalleled suffering throughout history, facing the horrors of slavery, slave Trade, and colonial oppression like no other race on Earth. There is a growing belief in America that the history of the slave trade may not be as accurate as once thought. Some individuals are suggesting that both white and black individuals voluntarily travelled to the Caribbean seeking better opportunities. As slaves, blacks were transported to that place against their will.
Preserving the authenticity of slave trade is imperative.
Allowing it to happen again would result in them being enslaved once more, and they cannot let that happen. His mission is to collaborate with a group of individuals to ensure that the impact of the slave trade remains a prominent part of their history. It is imperative that they preserve the authenticity of this tragic chapter and uphold its significance in society. In an effort to bring back History into the Basic Education curriculum, the Nigerian government began training 3,700 teachers in the subject in 2022.
During the 61st ministerial session in September, 2016, Mr. Adamu announced that the National Council on Education had given the green light for history to be taught as its own separate subject once again. The Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) was given the responsibility by the then minister of education to separate history from the social studies curriculum, creating a new subject solely focused on history. Goodluck Opiah, the then Minister of State for Education, initiated the training of History teachers in Abuja four years after the directive was issued.
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Thus, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) was assigned the responsibility of providing refresher training for 3,700 teachers across the country, with each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) contributing 100 teachers for the program, as stated by him. Bringing History back into basic education could enlighten the upcoming generation about the past events of their country, making them aware of the importance of learning from previous errors and setbacks to prevent their recurrence In the future.
