Professor with the best seven and History for Nation-Building Initiative Team
Emphasis has again been placed on the need to reintroduce the teaching of History as a subject to Nigerian schools.
This call was recently made on Wednesday at an inter-school essay contest on History, organised by a non-governmental organisation, History for Nation Building Initiative for select secondary school students in Ibadan at the
Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan.
Speaking at the event organised in honour of Prof. Rasheed Olaniyi, a Professor of African History at the University of Ibadan, the coordinator of the organisation, Charles Ekpo explained the rationale behind the competition, saying the essay contest was organised to celebrate Prof Olaniyi, who was recently promoted to the rank of a professor of history particularly, for his topnotch contributions to history studies in Nigeria and African as a whole.
He also said the organisation was birthed to promote the study of history in Nigeria’s schools.
” The History for Nation-Building Initiative was founded on the 13th day of November, 2017, with the vision of raising a generation of nation-builders through the knowledge of history.
“This vision we hope to realize by promoting the study of history in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools.
“We believe that history, as a subject, could be a possible remedy to the declining state of nationalism, national consciousness and patriotic culture,”
The honouree, Prof Rasheed Olaniyi harped on the need for history to be reintroduced into the Nigerian schools curriculum, just as he urged the students to find great people in history to use as role model.
“Look for people in history for role model and not celebrities,” he said.
At the end of the rigorous essay contest, Dorcas Odekunle, a student of Abadina Grammar School emerged first and won a star prize of N15,000 together with a collection of history text published in honour of Prof Rasheed Olaniyi. Azeezat Onafua of International School, Ibadan emerged second, winning a prize of N10,000 and a collection of history text from same authour while Oluwatoyosi Owoade of the Apostolic Church Model College emerged third and won a prize of N5,000 and collection of history text from same authour.