EDITORIAL: WHERE IS MORAL IN OUR EDUCATION?

National Youth Service Corps established in 1973 after the Nigeria Civil War is aimed at fostering the unity and patriotism among Nigerians. It is expected of a Nigerian graduate to engage in this service of nation building for a period of one year. But those who are over the age of 30 at their graduation or are into Nigerian forces or conferred with a National honour are exempted from serving and thus issued a Certificate of Exemption upon their graduation. The certificate issued to both who have served their nation and those exempted are what to tender when one is seeking a job or vying for any political offices across the country. This means it is among the requirements for getting employment in Nigeria. However, the news around the forgery of Exemption Certificate by the former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the deliberate skipping of NYSC, by the Minister of Communication; Adebayo Shittu despite graduating before the age of 30 and David Adeleke’s departure to America for a concert while on service show how education is a road to corruption here. 

Education is a process of learning how to become a better man. It is like the moon in the night; it creates light around the darkened areas of the brain. It makes man to distinguish between the good and the bad and thus make him a better person in the society. This means, education also teaches moral. But, alas, looking at the various happenings in the country one will not help but admit that education which is to refurbish the mind of people off corruption has always been the propellant of it. How many of us can boast of writing our SSCE or JAMB by ourselves? How many of us have not engaged in any form of malpractice, be it in the exam or test? This is how corruption started before it reaches the NYSC stage. It is very rare that one engages in the forgery of NYSC certificates, skipping service or travelling outside the country while on service if one has not passed through those “minor” corruption cases asked above. 

Ours is an education that promotes the moral decadence. We can pass judgement on our leaders but we must not forget that the system produces them. We are also in the system only that our files have not been opened for the world to see. The lecturers who do not come to class but collect their salaries at the end of the month are part of the system. Students who go online to copy, edit, and paste assignment are part of the system. Lecturers who forge results for students are part of it. Students who receive a forged result despite an awarereness of its illegality are part of it. So, if one will gift an attractive cloth to someone, one must not be seen wearing a rag. If we want to blame our leaders, we should not be found wanton of the similar offence. 

Since we are also moving towards serving our nation after the graduation, it is high time we shunned any form of corruption so that we do not tarnish our image before the world. Lecturers too must infuse moral into their teachings and must be seen practicing what they teach. Students must disengage themselves from any form of malpractice, be it plagiarism, cheating during the test or examination, et al. Let it starts from us, lecturers and students, building a nation that is truly free of corrupt leaders. If we do this, the world will not laugh at us being a Nigerian. At European embassies we will not be seen as criminals entering Europe. For they know we will not come with a fake and forged green cards. Let us set the standard, Nigerian can be great if our actions are great. 

Besides, the government should make sure those who are found wanton of any crime, either forging of certificate or not following the due process involved in certain things that will better the nation to face the wrath of law. It is honourable that Mrs. Kemi Adeosun resigned but dishonourable that she has not been brought to book. Likewise, Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu and David Adeleke. The law should not be blind to some people, for nobody is above the law. Thus, the younger ones coming into NYSC will see reasons to follow integrity. 

All in all, we hope to see a world where we will not just learn moral principles but be living by their examples, where we not just learn to understand but practice what we learn and understand. 

As Awere Damoah, a Ghanaian writer would say “we love to quote the sayings ‘Rome was not built in a day” but we fail to remember that Rome was eventually built, and it must have been so magnificent that when people admired it, they were told that it didn’t happen in just a day. The question, then, is: if Rome was not built in a day, how was it built? Answer: It was built every day”. Thus, this is high time we started the change. 
PUB 2/ Monday, September 24, 2018.