Countrymen, why is Politics so badly done in Nigeria? I have a not-so-new theory – though it might be better described as an observation.  I don’t need to elaborate about the consequences of bad political leadership in Nigeria. With insecurity skyrocketing and Inflation currently at 32.15%, while the naira remains on an icarusian freefall despite laudable interventions by the CBN, the reality is that conditions have always been challenging in Nigeria, but they’ve never been this bad, at least not in the last decade.  So, why are we unable to untangle the Gordian knot of bad politics in this great country of ours? Why does it seem like our national progress and prosperity keeps regressing after every new election?

I cannot fault your thinking if you jump to the conclusion that the answers to these questions are simple. Nigerian politicians are corrupt and because they mostly loot the state’s coffers, this results in a never-ending cycle of bad politics and national regression.  While this is true, especially looking at the case of Atiku Bagudu, who was arrested for laundering Abacha’s stolen wealth but has now overseen the formulating of the federal budget since the last two years, one is left to wonder about the brazen, dystopian nature of Nigerian politics.

Still, why are many of these politicians corrupt? My theory is that they lack sufficient patriotism. When I refer to patriotism, I don’t mean merely standing in the middle of a military truck during Independence Day and miming along to the national anthem. I am talking about an almost fatal, religious patriotism that sees political service as the highest calling. The kind of patriotism eulogised by Pericles in his epochal funeral oration which sees the ‘service of the state’ as where the ‘rewards of virtue are greatest’.

So, why is it that these Men (and some women though mostly men) struggle to embody this spirit of patriotism? Unfortunately, the blame rests largely on our education system which guides the intellectual and cultural fabric of our country. For as long as I can remember, there has always been an underlying philosophy or mindset in the Nigerian education system that prioritizes the ‘practical’ disciplines over ‘literary’ subjects.

Essentially, the sciences – both core and applied – are viewed as more vital and ‘useful’ when compared to the humanities and social sciences. By humanities and social sciences, I mean main subjects like History, Classics, Philosophy, Literature, Languages (foreign and indigenous), Law, Economics and Political Science. Over time, this imbalance has turned the Nigerian education system into something akin to a mindless production line, churning out graduates for export to countries where ‘useless’ literary disciplines have developed stable political systems.

 The origins of this deranged philosophy can be traced back to colonialism. The British government preferred their colonial subjects to learn ‘practical’ subjects that would produce clerks and artisans rather than thinkers that would seek to undermine the intellectual foundations of colonial government. As Lord Lugard cautioned in the dual mandate in British tropical Africa, when discussing the nature of subjects to be taught in primary education: ‘…a cursory acquaintance with the evolution of democracy under Cromwell may do more harm than good by inducing the boy patriot to deplore woes and the regeneration of his country rather than attending his lessons’.

Post-colonial Nigerian governments, especially the military regimes continued in this tradition by prioritising ‘practical’ subjects that promised job opportunities through their structural adjustment programs (SAP) of the 1980s. A vivid example of this occurred in 1983 when History was replaced by social studies and civic education in Nigerian secondary schools, leading to a decline in enrolment in History undergraduate studies in Nigerian universities and a consequent reduction of academic historians.  The long-term effect of these poor political decisions over time has been the continual decimation of the humanities and the production of a highly skilled youth population in Nigeria who are completely uneducated about the world, including the complex origins of their country and their modern identity.

For example, when I was in secondary school, there were four SS3 classes, the final stage in secondary education. Three of these classes were science-focused while the fourth was for arts and commercial students. From what I remember, the arts and commercial students were often seen or treated in a bizarre way as intellectually inferior, likely because science students were thought to have more job opportunities. There was also the slightly cranky view that the sciences were ‘difficult’ and if you didn’t excel in physics, maths or the core sciences, you were considered less intelligent. Over the years, I have come to realise this sentiment is widely shared across the country, particularly in the eastern, middle belt and south-western states.

This view and its influence over Nigeria’s education system is the one of the main reasons why the country is in its decrepit situation. If you look at the most powerful nations in the world, such as the UK, France and the US, including other nations that are currently on the UNSC, one can clearly see that the intellectual foundations of the modern west, which has birthed the political foundations of modern Africa by virtue of colonization are steeped in the subjects that have now been abandoned in Nigeria.

The culture of western Europe and the ‘modern west’ is by default the Greco-Roman culture which has been propagated over time by the study of the history, literature and culture of these two timeless societies. One of the most significant legacies of the Greek political culture which laid the foundations of modern democracy was the emphasis on the individual’s ability to determine their destiny. This shift led to the application of practical and reasoned analysis to the government and the state.

Prior to the Greeks, especially Athens, political authority in various old civilizations around the world, including in Africa and the ancient near east mostly rested on religious authority and divine tradition. Even the Greeks initially shared this outlook, as earlier Greek societies portrayed in the Iliad still placed the gods as directors of mankind’s destiny. In these earlier societies, Sung poetries like the iliad played a crucial role in communal life by transmitting values, ideals and history. This is comparable in some ways to the role of Yoruba Royal bards, who, through their sung poetry such as Oriki passed down oral histories of Kings, and the traditions of the society.

However, when Protagoras, the sophist, declared in the fifth century that ‘man is the measure of all things’, and expressed agnosticism by saying, ‘concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not…’, Athenian philosophy had started sowing the seeds of intellectual rebellion against these previous world order,  with the problems of the state being subjected to observation and reason. Although, Greece fell to Rome in 146BC, Roman intellectual culture still firmly rested on Greek foundations.  As Horace famously remarked in his epistles, “Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit” (Captive Greece took captive of her fierce captor and brought the arts to rustic Latium (Rome)’.

Now, you may be asking, how is understanding the culture of these ancient societies relevant to Nigeria’s political development? The answer lies in the fact that the Greco-Roman culture which formed the political foundations of Western Europe is also by virtue of colonization, our modern political culture. Nigeria’s system of Government originated in Classical Athens and was brought to our shores by the British through the Atlantic in the nineteenth century.  

Together with Britain, whose ancient Celtic culture was Romanized, our peoples owe our unique system of Government to the Greco-Roman world. However, the million-dollar question remains: why does Britain’s political system seem to succeed and ours doesn’t, even though neither of our ancient cultures invented our current systems of government?  The answer lies largely in the value placed on intellectual and literary subjects in the British education system, particularly its emphasis on the humanities which has nurtured a political culture that supports good governance.

Beginning in 77BC when Agricola, the roman governor, introduced the children of the British elite to the study of Greco- Roman law, literature and Philosophy, the intellectual culture of Britain’s upper classes including that of English Kings was shaped by this tradition of classical education. This influence persisted from the medieval period through to the nineteenth century. Indeed, throughout the Nineteenth century and until at least the first half of the twentieth, Classics remained the most prestigious subject to study at premier English universities like Oxford or Cambridge.

The British civil service which ran the British empire and created states like Nigeria along with the ‘men on the spot’, was also deeply rooted in this classical education/tradition. To become a top civil servant in Nineteenth-century Britain, one had to obtain top marks in the civil service exams which were in: Greek, Latin, Political economy, Literature and English. A similar pattern can be seen in the education of the colonial officers that were involved in the creation of Nigeria – 18 out of 26 of them studied Classics at either Oxford or Cambridge.

Although the influence of Classics has sadly declined in 21^st century Britain, a light, modern substitute has emerged in the creation of the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree at Oxford. To understand the influence of this degree in British politics, one need only consider this excerpt from a Guardian article,

“Monday, 13 April 2015 was a typical day in modern British politics. An Oxford University graduate in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE), Ed Miliband, launched the Labour party’s general election manifesto. It was examined by the BBC’s political editor, Oxford PPE graduate Nick Robinson, by the BBC’s economics editor, Oxford PPE graduate Robert Peston, and by the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Oxford PPE graduate Paul Johnson. It was criticised by the prime minister, Oxford PPE graduate David Cameron. It was defended by the Labour shadow chancellor, Oxford PPE graduate Ed Balls.

Elsewhere in the country, with the election three weeks away, the Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury, Oxford PPE graduate Danny Alexander, was preparing to visit Kingston and Surbiton, a vulnerable London seat held by a fellow Lib Dem minister, Oxford PPE graduate Ed Davey. In Kent, one of Ukip’s two MPs, Oxford PPE graduate Mark Reckless, was campaigning in his constituency, Rochester and Strood. Comments on the day’s developments were being posted online by Michael Crick, Oxford PPE graduate and political correspondent of Channel 4 News.”

While this was true in 2015, it remains the case in 2024. The most recent election was fought between Rishi Sunak, who studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), and Keir Starmer, who studied Law. If you examine the education of the last seven British prime ministers, you find: Rishi Sunak (PPE), Liz Truss (PPE), Boris Johnson (Classics), Theresa May (Geography), David Cameron (PPE), Gordon Brown (History), Tony Blair (Law). Tellingly, only one British prime minister since 1900 studied a science degree and that was Margaret Thatcher, who read chemistry at Oxford.  

Similarly, looking at the last six chancellors of the Exchequer (Finance ministers and second to the PM in terms of seniority) you see: Jeremy Hunt (PPE), Kwasi Kwarteng (History and classics), Sajid Javid (Economics and Politics), Phillip Hammond (PPE), George Osborne (History), Gordon Brown (History) et al. While these are senior politicians, many other British MPs hold degrees in Arts, humanities or social sciences. Across the Atlantic in the US, the situation is eerily similar. Why shouldn’t it be? The US was a creation of Britain and its intellectual culture and heritage is largely rooted in the Greco-Roman tradition.

Let’s take a closer look at the education of US presidents and their opponents from 1993. The common majors among them include History, economics, government, international affairs, business, and law. The table below illustrates my point:

Democratic	Republican
Kamala Harris (Political science, Law)	Donald Trump (Economics)
Joe Biden (Law)	Donald Trump (Economics)
Barack Obama (Political science, Law)	Mitt Romney (English, Law, Business)
Barack Obama (Political science, Law)	John MCcain (Literature, History)
John Kerry (Political science, Law)	George Bush (History, Business)
Al Gore (Government)	George Bush (History, Business)
Bill Clinton (International relations, PPE, Law)	Bob dole (Business, Law)

The influence of these subjects is clear. The same holds true for France, where public administration has long been dominated by graduates of the Ecole nationale d’administration (ENA), which immerses its students in the study of history, economics and law. This educational background has produced Seven French presidents, including the current incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, who initially studied philosophy and worked briefly as a research assistant in that field before attending ENA.

However, let’s not restrict ourselves to the western world. Consider China whose socio-economic growth has been exponential over the past eighty years. The current Chinese president, Xi jinping, holds a doctorate in law (Marxism) which he pursued part-time at Tsinghua university’s institute of humanities and social sciences while he was serving as governor of the Fujian province. Besides that, the Chinese state, governed by the CCP is deeply rooted in the study of European Marxist philosophy, which party supporters are expected to religiously adhere to.

What about the notable figures in Nigeria’s political history? These individuals have consistently been well-versed in the humanities. For instance, Nnamdi Azikiwe graduated with a BA in political science from Howard university as well as master’s degrees in religion and philosophy from Lincoln university and another master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. While serving as a graduate-student-instructor at Lincoln, Azikiwe even developed a course on African history. Similarly, Obafemi Awolowo, a seasoned journalist who studied Law in England, placed great importance on History as evidenced by his creation of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa upon his return from England.

Indeed, it speaks to the intellectual calibre of these men that Azikiwe founded the West African pilot to expound his political ideas which became a dominant force in the pre-independence Nigerian press, while Awolowo established the Nigerian tribune to counter Azikiwe’s dominance. Despite that tribalism divided the politics of pre-independent and immediate post-independent Nigeria, there are still no politicians in the third and fourth republics that match up to the intellectual distinction of these men.

However, given the fact that these men were not science students, is anyone genuinely suggesting that Awolowo or Azikiwe were not intelligent enough to pursue degrees in the sciences? People may be misguided, but surely no one is foolish enough to make such assertions. Even during the Nigerian civil war, the two halves of our divided country was led by Ojukwu, who studied History at Oxford and Gowon, who later studied political science at the University of Warwick.

With each new election, when Nigeria faces the same vicious cycle of political violence and vote-buying, most political commentators often lament that our politics lack a foundation in ‘political ideas’. However, how can this not be the case when our education system, due to its funding and philosophy, undervalues subjects that generates the ideas necessary for nation building and patriotism? An estimated 60% of our population is made up of youths, yet many of those who pass through our education system lack the necessary background on how to articulate patriotic, political ideas that can strengthen the nation.

The mediocre political culture in Nigeria has reached a point where the current president was unable to show up for debates in the last election while his main challenger made broad political promises despite lacking a strategy that will give him a majority in the national assembly. Nevertheless, the level of political criticism remains inadequate, and Nigerians often look for a messianic leader instead of critically analysing the policies of the parties and candidates taking part in our elections.

However, this essay does not imply that studying arts, humanities or social science subjects will automatically provide a solution to the challenges our country faces. Nor does it suggest that science students cannot play a role in public life and make a difference. What is essential, is the complete disavowal of the cultural notion that the humanities are useless and most Nigerian students should exclusively pursue the sciences. This mindset leads to a surplus of highly skilled professionals, such as doctors, nurses and programmers, who are then exported to countries with stable political systems.

It is important to know that the sciences will never reach their full potential in Nigeria until humanities graduates are nurtured to help transform the country. The two are interdependent. What is needed is that young students should be encouraged to pursue their strengths, and the state should actively provide an enabling environment for the humanities to flourish. Students who excel in verbal reasoning at an early age should be encouraged to study the arts, humanities or social sciences and they should be made aware of the absolute importance of these subjects to the foundations of a prosperous Nigerian state. Revamping Nigeria will take a long time, and it starts with educating the Populace – this is the crucial first step.