Professor Isaac Olawale Albert of the University of Ibadan (UI) has accused those opposed to the teaching and study of history in Nigeria of failing to recognise the importance of understanding the country’s past.
Albert, a professor of peace and conflict studies and a historian by training, said knowledge of history was essential to understanding the Nigerian state and its present challenges.
Speaking with PrimeStar News Online, Albert said governments and political elites sometimes appeared uncomfortable with historical inquiry because a proper understanding of the past could expose decisions and actions that had shaped Nigeria’s current problems.
He argued that the Nigerian state itself could not be properly understood without examining the historical circumstances under which it emerged.
According to him, history is not simply a record of past events but a foundation upon which societies understand their institutions and political development.
Albert said the importance attached to history in other parts of the world demonstrated its value.
He cited Britain as an example of a country where historical knowledge remains important to understanding the development of the state.
The professor said Nigeria’s current political and social problems also had historical roots.
He linked some of the country’s contemporary ethnic and religious tensions to the manner in which the colonial administration structured the territory that eventually became Nigeria.
According to Albert, the British colonial arrangement created significant divisions between different parts of the country, including the North and the South and among the Southern regions.
He said the colonial administration’s policies contributed to the development of a Northern region dominated by Islam alongside a largely Christian Southern Nigeria, while the South itself was divided into the South-West, South-East and Mid-West.
Albert argued that these historical divisions continued to influence contemporary Nigerian politics and conflicts.
He said understanding the historical background of such divisions was necessary if Nigerians were to find lasting solutions to them.
The professor said history also played an important role in understanding institutions such as the Nigerian state itself.
He maintained that the state was built through historical processes and that its current structures could not be properly understood without examining those processes.
Albert said attempts to ignore history would not make Nigeria’s problems disappear.
Rather, he argued, lack of historical knowledge could make it more difficult for younger generations to understand why particular conflicts, institutions and political arrangements exist.
He therefore advocated a stronger place for history in Nigerian education and public discourse.
According to him, Nigerians need to understand what happened in the past in order to have informed discussions about the future.
Albert said the reluctance of some political authorities to encourage historical inquiry was therefore counterproductive.
He maintained that a society should be confident enough to confront its history, including uncomfortable aspects of its past.
For Nigeria, he said, honest engagement with history was necessary for understanding the roots of its present challenges and finding sustainable solutions.
