The Boko Haram Culture and the Genesis of the Nigerian Educational Crisis. 

“In the Universities themselves, the Federal Government is now contemplating introducing free education. Whatever may be the merits of this considered step, its likely effect on the University population must be mentioned. It is going to result in an even greater imbalance in enrollment for the simple reason that at the moment, there are a fair number of highly eligible candidates for University education, mainly from the educationally advanced states, who unfortunately cannot enter University simply on financial grounds.” That was Professor Aminu in his memo, titled “Educational Imbalance: Its Extent, History, Dangers and Correction in Nigeria” when he was the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission. Obasanjo was the Military President at the time.

Please, permit me to break his argument for you in plain English. Why is this essay necessary? Because of the attack unleashed on peaceful protesters at Abuja and Lagos by Northern youths under the supervision of government agents 

Dr. Aminu's ethnic-influenced logic was that a nationwide free education program implemented at the national level has the potential to balloon the already existing educational gap between north and south. His reason is that candidates from the "educationally advanced states, who unfortunately cannot enter University simply on financial grounds", will eventually be able to do so if free education is introduced. 

He was not interested in the likely benefits of the program to Northern children. But was unduly concerned that Southern children will benefit more. It was his view that poor families in the north will not embrace the free education program at the same level as their poor southern colleagues. His reason was: the aversion of western culture and values by northerners. That was. So, the theory that Boko is Haram in the North did not start with us today. Dr. Aminu and some of his fellow Northern intellectuals used it to kill the Nigerian education system.   

Based on that understanding (Northerners do not like western education), he concludes that the idea of free education being contemplated by the government is not a national priority. And our federal military government bought and swallowed his retrogressive arguments hook, line, and sinker.  In other words, if free education policy is not good for the north that, unfortunately, needed it more than the south, it is considered not good enough for Nigeria at large. And that was how Schools of Basic Studies funded by the Federal Government became a culture in the North, but foreign in the South. 

And it was the same period that the Ali Must Go students riot took place. They removed subsidies on student feeding because it was too expensive for the government to fund. But what they didn't tell Obasanjo was that there are more Southern children in the University and they are benefiting more from the feeding program.

The truth is that the educational gap between the north and the south that people like Dr. Aminu wanted to bridge, by all means necessary, did not happen overnight in the south. It was made possible by the embrace of the teaching of the Christian Missionaries in the South - the integration of religious studies with the scholarly pursuit of Western education by the Ndigbo. And the free education program of Action Group in the western region, as well as, the acceptance and embrace of Western culture and values side by side with the Yoruba creeds by the people of the old western region of Nigeria.

Dr. Aminu acknowledged these facts in his 53-page memo, rather than strive to give it a nationwide experiment, he demanded that the rest of the country stands still for the north to catch up, whether or not the northern political leaders were willing to embrace the same values and cultures that made educational advancement possible in the geographical south. And that is the tragedy of the Nigerian educational system, evading abatement or total elimination. 

So, when you see videos of Hausa speaking youths on the attack in the past few days, out to kill and sabotage the peaceful protesters, you don't need to be reminded about the essence of the celebration of the culture of illiteracy by some Northern political leaders whose children are not only educated the Western ways but actually acquired them in the Western Countries. 

You are reading this and you are saying "this Alex guy hate the North, only a few of the Northern intellectuals espouse the views of Dr. Aminu." Yes, indeed; these few are the brain behind (authors) of some of our major public policy documents. For instance, the 1999 Constitution was written by the Legal Adviser to President Abach, now Professor Yadudu. What about the last creation of new states and local government councils? The same thing. In other words, these extreme few, well versed in feudalism and oligarchy obsessed, are managing our public affairs. 

I am not against any tribe. I am only stating how the policies that they openly pursued over the years undermined our unity and set us back economically. You should be worried about them and not me. I am a patriot. They are the bigot because they champion our divide and espouse a narrative of race and religion. And as long as they exercise control over the proceeds of our crude oil and customs and immigration, and at the same time, corner enough public wealth to send their children to school abroad and enough to share to the grown-up almajiris to do their bidding, Nigeria will not know peace and real progress will continue to elude us.