Nigerian culture places a pre-eminence on elders. In Nigeria, there is a widespread problem of elders insisting they know all there is to know about life and they insist on “guiding” us on this right path (they have chosen). Overbearing. Lack of space. Some parents even choose university courses for their offspring. Some wade into who they can or cannot marry. Crossing religious lines? Omo you’re on your own o!
They may not be aware but this cultural attitude stifles our progress systematically. We have a society where there is no real investment in the young. Primary education is not taken seriously. Secondary education is elective since many don’t attend. And for those who brave the Nigerian university system, it is a complete nightmare. They have bequeathed a society that is completely unproductive but has instead chosen to organize itself to support an overblown government and produce a few billionaires and millionaires who acquire their enormous wealth mostly through justling for political positions or rent-seeking activities.
Somehow they are shocked at the state of unemployment, (it is currently, 33%, according to Bloomberg that is the second-highest globally;) but President Buhari says the youth are lazy and uneducated, watch him say it here if you want to be angry.
In Africa, governments do not typically have endless funds, so when budgeting they have to prioritise the most important things. This 2019 paper explains how increased funding has resulted in improved quality and enrollment in Kenyan schools.
Kenya and Ghana do not have young presidents but they have more sensible policies in critical sectors. For example, Kenya’s government has maintained a good secondary school system that is an equalizer and promotes talent based on merit. Florence Itegi argues in this 2016 paper that improvements in the quality of education are a direct result of strategic planning. Kenya spends around 5% of its budget on education and Nigeria spend around 7% of the budget. Moses Ngware a senior researcher at the APHRC gives a detailed breakdown of how this money is spent. Most of the money goes towards paying for teachers salaries (which shows the care about the quality of who is doing the teaching). Public universities are the second-largest spenders in the sector, which again shows the government takes them seriously. Mr Ngware gives us a succinct explanation of how Kenya plans its primary — secondary spend.
Whereas in Nigeria, we have collectively witnessed the deterioration of our once esteemed secondary school system. Most undergraduates do not complete their courses on time because of the neverending ASUU strikes, then the fact that the teaching and living conditions are horrible is a story for another day.
We continue to see old men come up with really archaic ideas on how we can transform ourselves. Always telling us to be farmers and giving out Keke’s or the usual CBN 500k SME loans. While we see in Kenya the government’s deliberate effort in utilising tech to revolutionise its agriculture, energy, education and technological capabilities. Ghana wants to make itself an oasis of African culture — attracting the diaspora and working hard to improve tourism. Nigeria on the other hand continues to battle with questionable ministers, animals swallowing money, national grid failures and an alarming rise in insecurity and a selective FG.
