A former Chief Judge of Anambra State, Prof. Peter Umeadi, has called for the re-introduction of teaching of History in secondary schools and in tertiary institutions.
This, he said, would promote the learning of peoples’ cultures.
According to NAN, Umeadi made the call on Monday in Enugu at the 80th birthday celebration of Prince Chukwuemeka Onyesoh of Nri Kingdom and presentation of Onyesoh’s book entitled “Dirt on White Spectrum’’ in Enugu.
He noted that the teaching of History as a subject would be of great benefit to the younger generation.
Umeadi said: “Nri is not just the centre of Igbo culture and religion, but the beginning and centre point of civilisation in sub-Sahara Africa covering pre-colonial Nigeria.’’
He urged Onyesoh to ensure that the book is placed in all libraries in Nigeria as well as in every secondary school in Igbo land as the book is the power of Igbos.
Reviewing the book, Prof. Chris Ebigbo, said it is a rescue mission for the throne of Eze Nri in Agukwu Nri since 1911 when British missionaries dethroned the ruling Eze Nri Obalike over 110 years ago.
Ebigbo is Professor of Art (Bronze casting) and Anthropology.
“The author tells us the relevance of the Nri throne under the rule of Eze Nri at Agukwu Nri and how its desecration affects the lgbo nation in Nigeria today, culturally, politically and economically.
“He demonstrated that Nri Kingdom and hegemony under the rulership of Ndi Eze Nri at Agukwu Nri, was the first kingdom in 1gbo land controlling 118 towns; and is also the first kingdom in Nigeria.
“The book presents how the Igbo cultural history, customs and traditions were regulated by Ndi Eze Nri in Agukwu Nri since 900 AD,’’ he said.
He said removing the dirt on the white spectrum of Eze Nri throne would not only reposition the Nri Kingdom and hegemony, but the entire Igbo nation politically, culturally and economically in the present Nigeria.
According to him, the book is a show of the author’s concerns about the evils, neglect and abuse of Nri Kingdom and hegemony under the rulership of Ndi Eze Nri of Agukwu Nri since 900 A.D.
Responding, Onyesoh said he was motivated into writing the because of the falsehood by Western scholars who said that Igbo were not organised and had no kingship but village-based.
“The people who wrote these things were highly educated professors and I was pained when they say that Igbo do not have kingship, but white men came and introduced warrant chieftaincy to us.
“The benefit of the book is that it will make us to rediscover ourselves and reject the idea that we have no kingship and culture,’’ he stressed.
Onyesoh claimed that Nri culture dated back to 900 years ago even before Ife and Benin cultures and kingships came to be.
“I am 80 years today and I want to be remembered for righting what is wrong and my book under review contained six chapters and 377 pages,’’ Onyesoh said.
He added that preparations had been made to ensure that the book got to all libraries in the country through the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The removal of history studies from primary and secondary schools curricula became effective from the 2009/2010 academic session with the Federal Government launching a new curriculum known as the New Basic Education Curriculum for primary and junior secondary schools.
The decision was however met with criticism with many describing the reasons as mere excuses.
Following the criticisms, in May 2016, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, announced that the Federal Government is taking steps to restore History as a subject in primary and secondary schools’ curriculum.
He had promised the nation when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum on in Abuja.
Adamu was responding to the criticism trailing the removal of history studies from primary and secondary schools curriculum which became effective from the 2009/2010 academic session.
His words: “Somebody, who doesn’t know his history is even worse than dead. So, this government is going to bring back history.
“It would even be better if we study local history first. You have to know who you are before you can be anything in this world.
“I believe this government is going to return history back to the curriculum.”
Championing the battle for restoration of the subject, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who described the removal of History from schools’ curricula as evil, has reintroduced History in the curricula of study in primary and secondary schools in the state.
Speaking in Makurdi, the state capital, sometime in May this year, the governor said Benue State would legislate a solution for the teaching of History even if it was for internal consumption of knowledge about how the people of Benue came to occupy what is today called Benue.
His words: “Removing history from our curriculum is an evil agenda. So, in our schools here even if we do it and it is not accepted for examinations to be conducted at the level of SSCE, let’s do Mock Exams, this will be within us. Because we must know our history, we must know how we came here.
“We must know when we sojourned here and know people that came to join us. We must know what happened in 1800. All these are very important. If we don’t do it, we have failed as a generation and posterity will not forgive us,” Ortom said.
He also instructed that vernacular should be taught in Benue schools beginning from the following academic session September 2021 along with History as core subjects.
Nigerian govt reintroduces history into school curriculum
ByAgency Report March 27, 2018 2 min read
Remarkably in March 2018, after nine years of the subject in the cooler, the Federal Government ordered the reintroduction of History as an independent subject into the basic and junior secondary schools in the country.
The Minister of Education, who gave the directive, at the launch of History curriculum and teacher’s guide in Abuja, said it would allow students know the history of the country.
History was buried under social studies curriculum, which had generated controversies among education stakeholders in the country.
Adamu said that the importance of history to nation building, national identity, patriotism and overall human development could not be over-emphasised.
According to him, one of the cardinal principles of the present administration is social and behavioural change, and history is key to its realisation.
“The desire to realise this and national clamour for it to be back informed our decision to reintroduce the teaching of History in Nigeria’s primary and junior secondary schools.
“The Federal Ministry of Education developed its strategic plan – Education for Change: A ministerial strategic plan (2016-2019) which contained several initiatives.
“This initiative was approved by the National Council on Education during its 61st ministerial session in September 2016.’
The minister added that following this development, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) was directed to carry out the disarticulation of History from social studies curriculum.
He said the new History curriculum was designed to expose students to a body of knowledge that would enable them appreciate history as an instrument of national integration and nation building in the 21st century and beyond.
He, however, was optimistic that the curriculum would equip the younger generations of Nigerians with the knowledge of the past and how the past relate to the present.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah, said a nation without history was a nation without a better future as it could not understand nor address the present situations.
He said in order to move the nation forward and make it play its catalyst role as instrument for human and national development; there was need for the reintroduction of history in schools.
Also, Ismail Junaidu, a professor and Executive Secretary of NERDC, said the drive for the reintroduction of History as a stand-alone subject at the basic education level was necessitated by the demand expressed by various stakeholders.
Mr Junaidu said the reintroduction would deepen positive understanding of our traditional values and identities as well as the similarities and differences between the various Nigerian people.
He added that it would also promote Nigerian and African history as a requisite for better understanding and appreciation of the challenges of globalisation.
In a similar view,Josiah Ajiboye, the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) boss called for the full implementation of the content of the curriculum.
