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The Nigerian Military and the Issue of State Control of Mission Schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Austin Ahanotu
Austin Ahanotu
Affiliation:
professor of history inCalifornia State College, Stanislaus, Turlock, California.
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Extract

Education is fundamental to any society. In its broadest sense it includes not merely curriculum and educational theory but all of the pressures that help to shape peoples' minds. Education, both formal and informal, is the vehicle through which society transmits its values, its “dreams”, and its worldview to its youth. Precolonial southern Nigerian societies had created educational systems that promoted their own values and moral standards as the guiding principles for their children. The function of such education, in addition to occupational preparation in agriculture, crafts, and religion, was the inculcation of a sense of communal responsibility. Christian missionaries who came in the nineteenth century brought with them European culture and traditions. These traditions were propagated and concretized in the mission schools which were tolerated by the British colonial government. But the colonial government frequently reexamined its views concerning the objectives of the mission schools. During the nationalist period (1945–1960) the nature of politics, particularly in southeastern Nigeria, led to further reevaluation of the basic role of missions in secular education. Then the military officers came to power in 1966. They shared the perspective that the idea of the elimination of mission schools within the Nigerian educational system again should be given serious consideration.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , September 1983 , pp. 333 - 344
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1983

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References

The research on this article was made possible by a sabbatical leave from California State College, Stanislaus, 1977–1978.

1. LeVine, Robert, Dreams and Deeds: Achievement Motivation in Nigeria (Chicago, 1966).Google Scholar

2. In Dreams and Deeds, Robert LeVine convincingly showed how “dreams” are of crucial importance in the analysis of the nature of motivation and achievement in Nigerian Societies. For example, he revealed why the people of southeastern Nigeria, especially the Igbo, were able to respond with “rationality, energy and effort” and with glowing success to new environments and situations.

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5. The historical literature dealing with this aspect of education in colonial Nigeria is excellent. See, for example, Ajayi, J. F. A., Christian Missions in Nigeria (London, 1965);Google Scholaridem, “The Development of Secondary Grammar School Education in Nigeria”, Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 2 (1963): 517; Afigbo, A. E., “The Background to the Southern Nigerian Education Code of 1903”, Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 4 (1968): 197–225.Google Scholar

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8. Coleman, p. 113.

9. Eastern Nigeria: Report on the Review of Educational System in Eastern Nigeria (Enugu, 1962).Google Scholar The 1959 Education Review Commission was headed by Professor K. O. Dike. The 1962 Commission (see n. 7) was headed by Alvan Ikoku. The reports were known respectively as the Dike Report and the Ikoku Report.

10. For the details on the religious politics of this period concerning education, see Amucheazi, E. C., “Church and Politics in Eastern Nigeria, 1946–1965” (MSc thesis, Ibadan, 1972).Google Scholar

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18. Christian Council of Nigeria, Eastern Committee, The Church in Education (Enugu, 1971), p. 4;Google Scholar Rev. Idowu, Bolaji, “That Take Over of Schools by Government” (part of the presidential address delivered at the representative session of the Methodist church, Nigeria), in The Nigerian Christian (08 1974), p. 9;Google ScholarSegun, Bishop, “The Church and Education” (Extract from his charge to the 2d session of the 6th synod of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Nigeria), in The Nigerian Christian (08 1974), p. 11;Google Scholar The Catholic Bishops of the East Central State of Nigeria, Education 1971, Eastern Joint Pastoral Letter (Onitsha, 1971), p. 12.Google Scholar

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26. Rev. Onuoha, a clergyman of the Catholic church, resigned from the priesthood, married, and changed his name to Enyeribe Onuoha. There are historical antecedents to this spirit of radicalism. See Oloko, Tunde, “Religion and Politics in Nigeria”, West Africa, 2 02 1957, p. 103, and 9 02 1957, p. 131.Google Scholar When Bishop Francis Arinze remarked that “education without religion is like tea without sugar”, Tai Solarin, a Nigerian radical educationalist, responded vehemently in support of secular education (see Solarin, Tai, An Answer to Rev. Francis Arinze's Partnership in Education between Church and State in Eastern Nigeria [Ibadan, n.d.], pp. 1–16).Google Scholar Other proponents of the secular state include Eselby, , “In the Name of Truth: Let Nigeria Be Truly Secular”, Nigerian Tribune, 2010 1974, p. 4;Google ScholarObaka, Daniel, “A Plea for a Secular State”, Daily Times (Lagos), 4 07 1977, p. 7;Google ScholarThompson, Justice Adewale, “The Nature of Our Time: Leave Religion Alone”, Sunday Tribune, 14 05 1978, p. 4.Google Scholar

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28. “Under Fire… Don Raps African Church”, Daily Times (Lagos), 5 September 1975, p. 5.Google Scholar Professor Ayandele was the principal of the Jos Campus of the University of Ibadan when he made this statement. At present, he is vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar.

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30. Onabamiro, Sanya, Chairman, Implementation Committee for the National Policy on Education, “Aims of National Policy on Education”, New Nigerian, 10 05 1978, p. 20.Google Scholar

31. This was the position of the Chairman of the International Telephones and Telecommunications Nigeria Ltd., Chief Moshood Abiola (a fervent supporter of the government) at the launching of an endowment fund for Abeokuta Grammar School, 11 May 1978, Abeokuta Grammar School, Ogun State, Nigeria.

32. Awoniyi, Timothy A., “Origin and Objective of Grammar Schools” (Lecture delivered to the Second Annual Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools in Oyo State), Daily Sketch (Ibadan), 2811 1977, p. 5.Google Scholar

33. Akaraogun, Olu, “Return Schools to the Missions”, Daily Times (Lagos), 18 06 1978, p. 5;Google ScholarEhikhamenor, Fabian, “Backlash of Government Takeovers”, Daily Times (Lagos), 20 07 1977, p. 13.Google Scholar

34. National Policy Department Centre (Think Tank), Report on Principals' Conference on Discipline and Motivation in Schools, University of Lagos, 12–13 July 1977 (Lagos, 1977).Google Scholar This is one of the most thoughtful and concerned reports on contemporary Nigerian educational problems. However, some of the students must have bypassed traditional authority in the interest of getting things done with speed and efficiency—attributes that the country needed most. Compare LeVine, Dreams and Deeds.

35. “Greed for Wealth, the Bane of Our Life: Church to the Rescue”, Daily Times (Lagos), 10 September 1975, p. 5.Google Scholar See also the Islamic, Nigerian view as reflected in “‘We are sick’: Grand Khadi [Alhaji Abubakar Gummi] angry on nation's vices”, Sunday Times (Lagos), 27 07 1975, p. 28.Google Scholar

36. Such organizations as Mary League Girls (an association of young Catholic women) and the Catholic Youth organizations are cases in point.

37. On the military's demand that the church be Africanized, see General Gowon's message to the All African Church Council at Lusaka in 1974 (cited in note 24) and Lt. General Obasanjo's message to the National Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Bishops, Benin City, Sunday Observer (Benin City), 18 September 1977, p. 1.Google Scholar

38. The cultural implications of the name changing could be found when, for example, the Queen of Apostles School in Kaduna became Queen Amina School (Amina was the legendary queen of the ancient city-state of Zaira), or when Saint Paul's College Zaria was renamed Kusena after the Kusena Hill.