NIGERIA @58.. FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION THE RIGHT MEDICATION TO OUR AILING NATION By Hafiz Azeez

NIGERIA @58..
FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION THE RIGHT MEDICATION TO OUR AILING NATION
By Hafiz Azeez
I believe one of the reasons behind the first line of our former national anthem ‘Nigeria we hail thee’ at the independence must have been the perceived prospects and greatness the future holds for this most populous black nation. The pen of Lilian Jean Williams, the composer of the anthem must have hailed Nigeria as a result of the abundance of resources the country is blessed with. Ironically, the unpalatable experience of average Nigerians and the pitiable position the country occupies among community of nations redefine the line ‘ Nigeria we hail thee’ to be the popular hymn of the masses when one of the various problems thwarting the development of the country resurfaced. If as a nation, we don’t know where we are coming from or where we are going, it’s pertinent we know how far we have journeyed. At 58, the level of poverty in the country raises a red flag that we are still far from the right track.
Considering our natural resources, nothing is wrong with Nigeria as a country but with Nigerians. As a car cannot move faster than its wheel, so a country cannot develop than it people. And education is that tool that develops individuals. Education goes beyond literacy; it is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, beliefs and habits. A pertinent question to answer is “how well is our education in Nigeria facilitating true learning and instilling the needed habits in learners?”
A functional education will be structured towards the needs of the society. Hence,will produce intellects that will effectively pull the progress wheel of the society. Stakeholders in the labour market had opined that many of our unemployed graduates are unemployable. This is pathetic and worrisome. What then is the usefulness of the rigor in the different facets of our educational ladder when graduates turned out to be unemployable? Undoubtedly, a complete overhauling of our educational system is overdue.
To security, it’s apparent that a functional education will engage our youths. An idle hand they say is the devil’s workshop. The effects of insecurity will be mitigated if not completely eradicated when the able bodied are properly trained and are productive in the different aspects of the economy.
Corruption thrives in Nigerian today because the society gives undeserved respect to money and money bags. Morality and virtues like honesty, respects for elders that are integral parts of our cultures are drowning in the pool of civilization. Functional education will teach morality and will preserve commendable values in our cultures.
However, to take good advantage of our human resources, our education should be tailored towards the needs of the society. Vocational education should be promoted and appropriately funded. Religious and traditional institutions which are to teach morality and preserve cultural values respectively should be more proactive.
I believe our greatness as a country lies in our unity…though our tribes and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand. God bless Nigeria.