Between Obafemi Awolowo and Afe Babalola
Just like the Bible, in the Book of 1 Corinthians 15:45, referred to Jesus Christ as the second Adam, a Nigerian Academic, Prof. Raimi A. Olaoye, has described the Elder Statesman and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Are Afe Babalola, SAN as the second and modern day Obafemi Awolowo on account of his (Babalola’s) exploits in the realm of education through which he is putting the smiles on the faces of many and receiving accolades nationally and internationally.
The setting was the personality lecture in honour of late sage and first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, SAN and Aare Emmanuel Afe Babalola, SAN, titled “Connecting the past with the present for a rewarding future of Nigeria education system”, organized by the University of Ilorin Chapter the Nigerian University Education Students Association (NUESA)
Even though Olaoye, Professor of History and International Relations at the University of Ilorin, laboured assiduously to convince his audience that it was an herculean task to deliver a personality lecture in honour of the duo of Awolowo and Babalola whom he described as fathers, role models, foremost educationists, courageous nationalists and great Nigerians, he held them in rapt attention for the duration of the lecture.
His words: “To write in honour of these great Nigerians is a task uphill. These are great men whose shoes are too big for (an) ordinary person like me to unlace. I got to know our guests many years ago through their intellectual works and nationalist dispositions. The only time I physically came into contact with Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in the early ‘80s, during the political campaign of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
“My physical contact with Aare Afe Babalola in the ‘70s was through my uncle, Chief J. A. Aderibigbe, who was his contemporary in a College at Ibadan. But more importantly is the fact that I have the knowledge of these great personalities through their positions in the society, meritorious services to the humanity and invaluable contributions to national development”.
After taking a cursory look at the past, Olaoye affirmed without any fear of contradiction, that every individual on planet earth is educated bearing in mind that all human beings, at one point or the other, must have benefitted from one or more of the three broad categories of education: Traditional Education, Oriental (Islamic/ Arabic) Education and Occidental/ Western Education.
According to him, in Nigeria, before the advent of colonialism, the precursor of other types of education was traditional education which was largely built on local customs and traditions as a result of which it emphasized the culture, value, norms and mores of the Nigerian communities. And because moral value was the epicentre of the traditional education then, the prevalence of anti-social vices such as larceny, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, drug abuse, gay marriage, sexual abuse and other horrendous vices of today was minimal. This enabled the Nigerian communities to be relatively peaceful and stable, while the issues of economy and socio-political growth and development taking their course.
This was the situation, when the British colonialists came to impose their values on the Nigerian societies.
At some point later, the Missionaries of different denominations such as the Church Missionary Society, the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and the Roman Catholic as well as the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) among others took over to provide Western education with emphasis on three ‘Rs’, that is, Reading, (W)Riting and ‘Rithmetic which emphasized the inculcation of moral value with the overriding philosophy of the missionary education based on European culture, value, orientation, customs and traditions.
This was the system of education inherited by the Nigerian nation at independence. But because Awolowo and Babalola, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and Alumni of the famous University of London and others in their mould who had been bitten by the bug of seeing their people beyond mere interpreters, cleaners, messengers and catechists among others in their mould rose up to the challenge to break the barrier in western education which was beyond the reach of the poor.
Of particular importance in this respect was the introduction of Free Primary Education in the old Western Region by Awolowo way back in 1955 and the deployment of as much as 52% of the Region’s resources on education to make total men and women out of the indigenes of the Region then. This paid off with the monumental development of the region ahead of others, even till today.
He commended the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for its cardinal philosophy of preserving and nurturing the legacy of education of the late sage to fruition, a development which gives verve and vigour to the hope of a rewarding education system in future.
Governments at all levels must be awake to their responsibility as far as education is concerned. They must appreciate that sound education constitute a potent weapon to fight ignorance, lack, poverty and disease and so, they must accord education a prime of place in the scheme of things.
It is a notorious fact that Awolowo has played his part and has gone to join the saints triumphant, but his re-incarnate, Babalola, has stepped into his shoes by virtue of the gigantic strides he took by establishing ABUAD which commenced academic works on January 4, 2010 to change the face of education in Nigeria and bring back its lost glory in education and for which he had been commended nationally and internationally by education stakeholders including UNESCO.
According to Olaoye, “Aare Afe Babalola’s efforts are an indication that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Although, I have not been to the University, but what I have been seeing on the television and reading from the newspapers are symptomatic of “Renaissance” that promises a re-birth of glorious period of education in Nigeria.
Based on Awolowo’s and Babalola’s vision for education and general development of Nigeria, they, in concert with a few others like them, have always been seen in the mould of Nationalists and Pan-Africalists such as Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikwe, Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Cedar Senghor, Houphouet Boign, Dauda Jawara, Nassingbe Eyadema, Marcus Garvey, E.W. Blyden and W.B. Dubois.
“In point of truth, Aare Afe Babalola, just like the late sage, is strongly passionate about how to reform our education system in Nigeria. His popular column on Thursdays in the Nigerian Tribune has always addressed variety of issues on education such as the need for quality education, good remuneration for teachers, review of school curriculum and education which is responsive to the needs of the country. His strong passion for the future of education in Nigeria is not misguided, knowing him as foremost educationist, erudite lawyer (SAN) and someone who hails from home of Professors, Ekiti-Kete”.
The world is now a global village and new trends in education and other facets of life keep on emerging by the day. In the world of today, the emphasis is on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The world is also in the direction of knowledge-based economy. In all of these, the use of computer and other ICT facilities would rule the future world of education not only in Nigeria but elsewhere in the world. And so, Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.
Nigeria should therefore go back to the roots, pick up the pieces and review the policy for a rewarding system of education in Nigeria for the labour of our heroes, past and living, to endure and stand the test of times.