Livinus Ukah
According to the Greeks, the purpose of education is to be a better man. But the reverse is the case nowadays. Some see education as a means of enriching themselves, building houses everywhere, having power in the village, building sky- scrapers in their father’s land, having power over the less privileged and the peripheries of the society, and acquiring all kinds of chieftaincy titles, thereby dethroning intellectualism. Their books are covered with cobwebs, they no longer consult them. The academia are now in pursuit of money, hence, they are polluted by politics of the day. They should maintain a critical distance from the politicians who are involved in populace ideologies, Marxist and Machiavellian principles. Their education should be used to sanitize the society and empower the populace.
Nigeria today is what it is because of the conspiracy of silence among the academia. If they make proper use of their power, the power of education they will not create a space for political neophytes to assault their sensibility and assault the citizens they should have protected with their voice in the society. Their voice should resonate in the society echoing the voice of justice and peace in the land, thereby making the politicians sit-up for justice and peace. They are supposed to make statements that affirm the citizens.
I will never forget what Pope John Paul II, now a saint said in his homeland Poland at the stadium addressing the people with the politicians, academia, the church and the military personnel gathered. This was at a time when Poland was in a political limbo. He said, “Poland enjoys arrogant use of power” When he said this, the military junta Jorowaski adjusted his seat with brows knitting thought. It did not take long, Wollenzer came in, and Poland came out of military regime. This was a wonderful intervention coming from the Vicar of Christ (the Pope) because of his intellectual brush up combined with his spirituality. This is the power of education. Pope Francis was in Cuba, another Communist state with all his intellectual, spiritual prowess, he spoke and the Marxist president listened. Then Obama, the first black American president went and spoke and the speeches began to resonate all over Cuba. Now America has their embassy there.
After 50 years of frosty relationship with Cuba, imagine the American plane landing in Cuba at that time! What a wonderful political symbol of “Let us be one again” in spite of our ideological leanings. Then Pope Francis visited America, when Trump was talking of building a wall between Mexico and America, and the pope said “We should build bridges instead of walls” and these powerful statements have entered into the brain waves of many global people. As for immigrants, the pope said, “He is a son of an immigrant and that everyone is an immigrant.” The pope has visited many countries mending all political fences that exclude others; his voice resonates again all over the world. The pope is a man of reference point.
Aisha Buhari, the wife of the president of Nigeria, with her boldness and nearness to the seat of power without mixing words or fear, spoke about what she has been experiencing in her political backyard; that her husband was no longer in charge. Knowing that she is a servant of the society she had to speak out so that others will follow suit and correct the political ills. It seems that what she said was dismissed with a wave of hand and skeptical smile because she is coming from a background where men are the only ones who can speak loudly. It is the power of education that eliminates that kind of male and religious chauvinism. We cannot follow pre-historic ideas, even the so-called civilized societies like Australia where they rubbish women who aspire to become presidents. This is misogynism. The emergence of Hillary Clinton to contest for the US Presidency was because of the power of education. We are in a global world with global way of thinking which should be all embracing once merit is met.
These qualities found in those I have mentioned are what the academia should do in the social world to avoid wars and bigotries. One major setback experienced by the intellectuals is lack of financial empowerment to pad their voices. This makes to be calm and sometimes complicit in situations.
In the case of Nigeria, what we see now is a world of people living in their own cocoons with no sufficient synergy to speak. Men of ideas and knowledge have continued to live at a low key because of political intimidation. No wonder Socrates said, “Hell awaits those who in spite of moral crises maintain neutrality.” What is the use of our knowledge when we cannot use it for the growth of mankind and development? Should we leave the society alone for the money bags and political neophytes? That is the state of the nation right now. Who would bail the Cat? Should we leave the country to Human Rights Activists or Labor Unions that can settle with the government at any time and dump us? Look at the increment in fuel pump price and electricity tariff amidst economic hardships and no one is talking. There is a tip-off that the pump price would still rise. All these are happening at a time when citizens are already experiencing great economic hardships. The academia defends the society by talking straight to powers as the media defends the society through their writings. If the academia can learn something from Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, there will be hope for the society.
The words from the academia should be words of empowerment. These are the social expectations from the society right now. Instead of speaking out, they jostle for political appointments and speak from both sides of their mouths in moments of injustice. If nobody motivates the poor citizens, they sink into misery, poverty, alienation, loss of meaning in life for lack of somebody patting them at the shoulder saying “Don’t worry better days are coming.” We are born into this world to exercise our particularity otherwise we will become an intellectual dust-bin with no sense of empowerment and contribution to the society.
Very Rev. Monsignor Ukah is a Catholic Priest, an Author of many books and an Advocate of Social Justice and Peace