By Kenny Ola
The appalling state of Nigeria’s economy has culminated with different perspectives by various individuals on the relevance and irrelevance of some courses in the Nigerian higher institutions. The questions of what to study and not to study have been considered a necessary step by many students who are willing to pursue academic degrees in Nigerian universities. While these questions serve to orientate many students towards their chosen courses, they tend to discourage a good number of students who are already in the institutions pursuing their various degrees. How do you intend those students to feel when those courses you render useless and unprofitable are the ones they are studying tirelessly to get their degrees? Owing to the poor state of Nigeria’s economy, do we expect students to drop out from the universities due to the said unprofessional courses they are studying or we find a better way of telling them that success is attainable irrespective of their courses of study? Just as a Yoruba proverb literally says: “kind words will suffice to soften a hot-blooded mind”. Consequently, this piece tends to preach the fact that success is defined by excellence and not by field of study.
While the economic reality in Nigeria might have informed many students’ parents’ and guardians’ actions into educating and mandating their offspring to go for profitable courses that will yield productive and positive outcomes after their graduation, it is likewise pertinent to encourage those students who are already in the universities not to be overwhelmed by a deep sense of despair for there is glory awaiting their devastating story. Like a prolific columnist and language expert, Dr Ganiu Bamgbose, asserts: “greatness is not a feature of any profession; greatness is anything one does and does well”. The foregoing saying sends the message that regardless of how highly productive one’s course is, if doing it right and well is not the intention of the doer, then hardly will one come out successful in the pursuit of such a course. Students should, therefore, bear in mind that attaching passion to whatever courses they choose to study and understanding that attaining giant strides demands small steps are essential prerequisites for becoming accomplished in such courses. Since the country’s main purpose of adopting western education is to engender usefulness and relevance, your ability to radiate usefulness and relevance in whatever fields of study you desire to pursue will earn you elegance and productivity.
In an attempt not to make this submission look too abstract, an instance will do to buttress this stance. Many persons might have wondered what is the pioneer vice chancellor, Ahman Pategi University and current vice chancellor, African School of Economics, Abuja, Professor Mahfouz Adedimeji, doing with a degree in English and what has owning a degree in Islamic and Arabic studies got to do with becoming a JAMB registrar which is the case of Professor Ishaq Olarenwaju Oloyede. These two prominent individuals are proof that no course is useless if the person studying it is aware of its inherent essence and how such essence can be navigated to result in the desired success.
In fact, if not that usefulness is a key term in the definition of education, what will an agriculturist be said to be doing in the bank? To plant or harvest money? What makes a medical doctor leave his/her profession and venture into business if not that he/she is well knowledgeable in the workings of business? How many political scientists are there ruling the affairs of the nation? Funnily enough, linguistics and literary studies that are thought to be unprofessional have become the selling points for many persons who do not even possess any academic qualification on these aforementioned courses. Let not even go into prompting what might have informed the decision of the renowned Nigerian actor, Femi Adebayo, into going for acting despite being a lawyer. The aim of posing all these questions is to justify the inevitability of usefulness in any forms of education. This, as a result, brings us to the conclusion that regardless of the course one chooses to study in the university, if passion is well nurtured, consistency is duly practiced and diligence is never compromised, then success is assuredly feasible.
It is in this regard that I conclude this piece with the words of Frank Outlaw: “Watch your thoughts, for they become words; watch your words, for they become actions, watch your actions, for they become habits; watch your habits, for they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny”. If you watch your steps closely, they will become your strides eventually.
*Kenny Ola writes from the Department of English Language, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.*
