How Nigerian Leaders Try to Re-write, Kill History and Removing it From School Curriculum for Selfish Reasons

It is indeed nothing but the truth that Nigeria’s past and present dictators are regrettably attempting to rewrite History. Nigeria’s former dictators have continued to show hatred for both the oral and written aspect of History and basically try to wish it all away by rewriting the history of the country and their deeds either in the past or present. They also hope to achieve the aim of erasing totally their personal past actions especially those considered detrimental to the course of the nation and the people of the country at hand.

History is defined, as the study of the past History is the study of the past, particularly the written records of the human race but more generally including scientific and archaeological discoveries about the past (Wikipedia.org) Academically, History is the field of research producing a continous narrative and a systematic analysis of past events of importance to the human race. “Those who studied history as a profession are called Historians, so it is right to ask when did the bulk of Nigerian leaders become Historians?

Recently, this tradition has increased with the entry of the three former dictators who ruled Nigeria from 1983 to 1999. Major-General Mohammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdusalami Abubakar, three of who came together after perhaps a three-man meeting held together to inform themselves and not Nigerians much less the world that the Late General Sani Abacha did not steal any money from Nigeria. This development marked a clear turning point in the increased interest in Nigeria’s former leaders attempting to turn back deceive or turn back the hand of History because the immediate past president of the country, Olusegun Obasanjo also made huge recovery of these various sums of money.

On November 10, 1998, the government of Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar announced to the world that his government had made a huge recovery of Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot from the coffers of the country, which the government put at N64 billion. Nigerians hailed him and thought that the money would sizably reflect in the economic development of the nation or used to socially develop the country through the repairs or outright contructions of roads, and maybe provision of hospital equipment in our General Hospitals but none was the case. Gen Sani Abacha was there in the first place because Ibrahim Babangida existed before him as one of the first ever military presidents the world would see without a vice-president, and Gen Mohammadu Buhari was himself overthrown by Ibrahim Babangida which Buhari considered a stab in his back way back in 1985, Nigerians heard this announcement from the same Abacha, the righteous military leader who undid his stealing of Nigeria’s money through his personal friends, Buhari, Babangida and Abdusalami. What a historical twist in the life of our nation, Nigeria. Still Nigeria did not complain because she knew that history was being made. Nigeria must be crying by now.

Fernand Braudel wrote "Everything must be recaptured and relocated in the general framework of history, so that despite the difficulties, the fundamental paradoxes and contradictions, we may respect the unity of history which is also the unity of life." But these seeming Historian-Generals negated this in desperate bids to re-write history and repaint their characters clean rather than try to convince the public nation that there was now remorse and the need for a change as William L. Burton puts it "If you do not like the past, change it”, these leaders appear to be seeing things that everyone else cannot see or even imagined. 

Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the June 12, 1993 election umpire also only recently came out with a bang to tell Nigerians what even History would not have imagined occurring at least as far as the history of June 12 election in Nigeria is concerned because many people who witnessed the events are still alive safe Abiola himself. This professor would tell Nigerians that Gen. Ibrahim Babangida was not responsible for the annulment of the election, which saw the Late Chief M. K. O. emerging as the winner of that election thus leaving mother History of the country to wonder if the professor was ever present when the election conducted in the country, an act which would see him fall out of favour with the Nigerian populace. Would students of history and Historians ever rely on this book? So many books appear to exist in this country today written by our former leaders and politicians that Historians find unreliable because such books do not yield results and do nothing other than twist historical events in support of their acts and deeds or more precisely to correct their perceived actions inimical to the masses. The reason behind this is not far fetched but being that “they are haunted by their past and possible perception of their roles by future generations. To fill in the gap, they have indeed written and or tried to write their own account” (Sunday, Vanguard, July 13, 2008, P.42 That of Professor Humphrey Nwosu’ book on June 12 could suggest that most of these works can be sponsored accounts cooked and presented to the Nigerian populace for consumption. 

History as a discipline has been greatly reduced to nothing in Nigeria courtesy of the Military and the Federal Ministry of Education some of whom even studied History. It is therefore not surprising that in the country today, History means nothing to anyone yet the discipline is the bedrock of the survival of any nation because the discipline or subject instills patriotism and nationalism in the minds of citizens of any nation. It takes the knowledge of history of one’s nation for individuals to love their nation and give in their best to the survival of that nation.

The Military and Federal Ministry of Education as noted here earlier have left no stone unturned in making sure that History is almost totally erased or completely killed in the school curriculum of junior and senior schools in the country. Rather than make the study of History especially as it concerns the history of the country compulsory, the Military and the Ministry have chosen to optionally situate it with Government as a subject in the secondary school level. This obviously is the beginning of the death of the subject as students are deliberately made to hate it. Still, in many of our schools here, teachers do not exist to teach this subject.

In the tertiary level, the teaching of History as a course is gradually being lost as it has been merged with international studies, international relations, diplomacy, strategic studies etc all of which means the same but different sounds. The proponent of this killing can be again traced to Obasanjo who from 1976 to October 1979 redesigned the National policy on Education while replacing History with Social studies at the junior secondary school while it survives only as an option at the senior secondary school level (Again see Sunday, Vanguard, July 13, 2008) The implication of the handiwork of Obasanjo is the denial of Nigerians the opportunity to understand the ourselves and the world.

Ironically, the same Obasanjo would mandate the professors of Historical society of Nigeria to look into issue and recommend to government on what should be done  to make Nigerians become patriotic and nationalistic in their thoughts and nature once again. Dr. Hope Eghagha of Department of English, University of Lagos reportedly later wrote back recommending the restoration of History in the school curriculum of the country. This remains to be done considering the typical character of the Obasanjo the then president of the country.

Though this harm done by Obasanjo still persists today, an appeal should go to the present administration to see to it that the discipline returns because as Sigmund Freud puts it "Only a good-for-nothing is not interested in his past." We also know that every human wants to know what events that have taken place in his country and the world at large, which no doubt increases the knowledge of one’s immediate and larger environments. Nigerians should not be enclosed in ignorance as previously thought and prepared by the once military regimes of the country which continues to hold that by writing and rewriting the books, their actions can either be erased or misunderstood to be genuine. We need History even to understand ourselves better.