Some time ago I get small discussion with some friends wey just come
back from Europe where dem go school. As those kind tori dem dey go,
everybody dey yarn about wetin him see/do. Some of dem see elephants wey
dey fly, dogs with six legs, giant millipedes wey dey talk, woman with
three breasts…. Hmmm, make we no go there.
Seriously sha, plenty interesting things come out of the tori, but
the one wey touch me pass na one experience wey all of dem share, even
though dem go different schools for different countries. That na say for
their classes, they oyibo people no dey fear to get up and disagree
with their professors or ask dem strong question. And as the oyibo dem
dey challenge their lecturers like this, the Naija people mind dey cut!
If you dey wonder why the Naija people mind dey cut, then you no go
school for Naija. Because anybody wey go school for Naija know say to
stand up for public and disagree with your lecturer fit mean say you go
leave school with a ‘Degree Attempted’ certificate o! Or maybe strong
carry-over go gum you until you bring your papa and una village chief to
come beg.
Wetin this group of I-done-go-abroad Naija people discover be say,
heaven no fall down and nobody die because people disagree with or
challenge the ideas of their professors. Actually, the professors dey
welcome those kinds of disagreements because e mean say the students dey
pay enough attention to wetin dem dey talk, to the point where dem feel
say dem get opinion. So the lecturers go explain until the students
understand, and na there e dey end. Nobody dey fail; nobody dey bring
him ambassador to come see the lecturer.
Na my belief say, na because we been get human beings wey always dey
ask question, challenge the way things dey and disagree with society and
authorities, na him make man done make progress from an animal no know
much about him envirionment to one wey fit fly to other planets. This
culture of asking question, disagreeing and challenging na wetin the
oyibo society dey encourage and na wetin dey cause change be that. Their
educational system dey based on this, from the lowest level to when
people wan get doctorate degree. But e no only dey restricted to
education o. For social and religious issues, oyibo no dey fail to ask
question, disagree with wetin people believe or challenge ideas. Plenty
examples dey to show how people dey affect the world with their
questions and challenges. Galileo Galilei make plenty observations about
the earth and other planets, including say the earth no dey flat, as
the Church (we be the authority at that time) believe. In fact, dem find
am ‘almost guilty’ and lock the guy up for house arrest for the rest of
him life o. But that idea live even after the man die and we know today
say the guy talk true. For our own dormot here, Mary Slessor, come
challenge the idea say twins na bad thing and eventually we stop to kill
twins. Some of us wey dey read this thing no go dey alive if not for
Mary Slessor work.
For Naija, to disagree with your lecturer, oga for office, papa,
mama, pastor or imam or any other person wey ‘senior’ you or dey in a
position of authority over you, fit land you inside hot pepper soup. Dem
bring us up for a culture wey say people wey get authority over you or
wey dey elder to you always dey correct. In fact, dem no dey lie! So
anytime you disagree with somebody like that, e be like say you done
talk say him dey lie or you wan show am say you sabi too much, and the
person go use all the power wey him get to press your mouth close.
But na inside this our culture na him some of the problems wey we get
for our country dey. Most of us done grow up not to ask question, not
to disagree and not to challenge. Our whole ‘home training’ dey designed
to keep us like this. I done hear of people wey their papa dey mess
anyhow e like for house. And e tell dem say for him to mess na good
thing. No be good thing for any of the children or the wife o. Na just
for him! So anytime the guy release him gases for house, everybody go
say ‘thank you, daddy’. And even though dem done grow up now, nobody
done manage question their papa or discuss am. That na how the matter
dey. We go laugh say this small example no dey important, but na exactly
with small things like this we dey take know the big ones. As my people
dey always talk, na from mess smell you go know shit smell. If we no
dey challenge or ask questions about small things for our houses, how we
wan take come out come tackle the big issues for society?
For our country e get so many things wey need questions, challenge
and new ideas. Some of dem na small things wey we feel say no dey
important, and some na big issues. But again, if you no look the small
things, how you go take look the big ones? For most state-owned primary
and secondary schools (at least for Rivers State), girls must keep their
hair low until dem reach SS3. And even for SS3 dem need to follow
certain rules on which kind hair dem go fit make. Now hair no be one of
the problems wey dey worry us o. But the question I wan ask na ‘why?’
How the low cut or lack of low cut dey affect their education? I know
say some of our neighbouring countries no get these kind rules, and I no
sure say e done affect the education of their girls. Another one na
about Law students for our universities. For my alma mater, the Rivers
State University of Science and Technology, the law students always get
to dress formally go class. Restriction dey on the kind colour wey you
fit wear o. If you wear green trouser and yellow shirt and purple tie
dey go class, anything you see, make you take am! I know say e dey
happen for many other universities too. How the dress code dey affect
the quality of lawyers wey we dey produce for our country, I no know.
Wetin I know be say this pattern no dey happen for many other countries,
including the developed ones, and e no be like say their lawyers dey
bad.
Make you understand say I no dey argue for or against the rules for
these two examples wey I just give o. I only dey ask why. And I
deliberately no mention any very serious wahala dem. I wan let you think
about dem for yourself.
For most rules or conventions wey we get, reason always dey why dem
put am in the first place. But as society dey grow and change, we
suppose dey review these rules and conventions everytime. Three
important questions dey wey we suppose ask:
Why dem make this rule?
The reason make sense then and e still make sense now with everything wey we know?
Make we leave am, change am or throway am?
I no go belleful if I no mention our religious nature. Religion na
big part of our lives for Naija and our Men/Women of God (both Christian
and Muslim) na very big influence on how we dey live and the things wey
we dey do. I no be Muslim and I no really know how that side dey work,
but as a Christian, I know say for a lot of Christians their ‘Daddies
and Mummies in the Lord’ na almost God. Dem no dey lie, dem no dey make
mistake and if dem talk, na God done talk so. I also know say these days
everybody get access to the Bible and Koran and Hadith. That one mean
say we all fit read these books for ourselves and we fit engage our
Men/Women of God for discussion about all things religious.
Afterall, no matter how holy these people dey, na still human beings
dem be, with the same tendency to use their own sense of wetin of
morality as wetin God talk. We need to separate wetin God talk with
wetin some people feel say Him suppose talk. I no talk say make we fight
out religious leaders o, but I say e go good if we ask dem more
questions and demand more explanations. God no go vex.
My belief na say e done reach time wey we go throway the culture of
not asking questions or challenging. Now na the time to begin dey ask
the important questions ‘why’ and ‘how’. If dem dey do something wey you
no understand, wey you no like or wey no make sense to you, ask
questions. If you get a better idea, talk am and try to change the
system. If you no understand how something dey work, ask how e dey work.
Maybe you fit get a better way for that thing to work and our country
to dey better because of you. ‘Na so we dey always do am’ no be correct
answer!
As with everything for life, we need to dey careful and try our best
to ‘exercise restraint’ when we dey question or challenge, so that we no
go insult or offend people. Because, when people done dey vex,
sometimes even when you dey talk true, dem no dey listen.
As for you wey somebody go ask question, challenge or disagree with,
abeg no vex. If you no get proper answer/explanation apart from to vex,
then maybe the person wey dey yarn with you get point. Maybe the time to
listen well and change done reach.
The truth be say, the time to mistake mumu for respect done pass.
Make we begin think, question, challenge and suggest new ideas. That na
one big step to that new Naija wey we all want.
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