Professor Toyin Falola has charged Nigeria, its government and people to build strong institutions in order to chart the trajectories of progress, integrity and development if the nation would indeed want to lead Africa and transcend its present handicaps. 

The celebrated professor of African history, based at the University of Texas, Austin, gave this admonition as part of his lecture titled: History and the Nation. He stated this as guest speaker at the second distinguished lecture series organized by the Department of History and International Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

According to him, “The history of every nation is in the details of every path it has taken and events that have occurred over the years. History holds the nation’s memory so that when time and generations make the citizens forget their origin and how far their nation has strived so hard, history brings back the toils of past generations. With the advent of globalisation and western civilisation that has caused aggressive cultural diffusion, history has remained the only factor that keeps the nation in check and the hope of allowing the people to find their identity once more.

“Nations cannot survive or stand without strong men, women, and institutions to chart the trajectories of their development and integrity. These individuals are those nationalists convinced to fight for a better situation in the country. To build motivations geared towards recreating committed individuals who would swear unflinching loyalty to their country despite the disappointments, history must be made an inciting force to realise this national ambition.

“One other important national process in national development is the duty of every nation and government to ensure that the country progresses and that national development is ensured in order to guarantee good quality of life and standard of living. Any country that cannot do this has undoubtedly failed its purpose. The current state of Nigeria has made us doubt the development of the country, and the future is unpredictable. However, knowledge of historical facts and events empowers individuals with the skills to make good decisions and build purposeful leadership.”

Earlier in his lecture, he canvassed that history has a crucial role to play in all the problems bedeviling Nigeria. For Falola, “The essence of history transcends the study of the past alone; it includes the study of the past to understand the present and plan for the future. The nation’s memory helps to understand a present predicament while reflecting on past problems and working towards solutions. History helps to bring back past wisdom, understanding, techniques and methodology to help solve today’s puzzle and create hope for the future. It has always been said that there is almost no event that does not have a similitude to its past circumstances and that the past holds answers to many of the contemporary ponderings.

“The Nigerian economy was striving well in the past, and there was always food on the table of an average Nigerian. There was a time when insecurity was not as rampant as today, and people’s lives were as sacred as the word itself. There was a time when many Nigerian problems were not in existence, and when they were, they were minimal compared to now. History offers the nation an opportunity to look back at the beginning of the problems to understand the underlying reasons. History allows the nation to reapply past solutions to similar problems or develop them to fit into the contemporary nature of those problems.

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“The Biafra War, the millions of people who died, and the destructions that occurred are historical evidence that should remind the people of the danger of war and terror.  On the South African 16th of December anniversary of the Battle of Blood River, the dreadful acts of the likes of Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, among other historical facts, have been written down to show the world how not to behave and what not to do at a particular time. However, the people have to know these historical facts before they can learn the lessons they hold and the evidence of the consequences that follow their respective actions. This shows that history can draw conscience into the hearts of men. Hence, in Nigeria, where history is not given the utmost attention, there are high tendencies that these values might not be successfully instilled in the hearts of the citizens.

“Historical awareness by the country’s leaders equips them for important decision-making processes. This is because it allows them the grace of understanding the consequences of their actions and prepares them for different expectations. This helps develop ideological leaders and deliberate citizens who understand their civic duties and responsibilities.”

He equally warned that “a nation is the reflection of its history. History connects the past, the present, and the future in one streak of the line through problems, solutions, changes, continuity, legendaries, and normalcy; therefore, it is core to the existence of a nation and important for its future. History is the memory of the nation by which all sectors, through their specific past, navigate current processes and prepare for other impacts.

“As the memory of the nation, history is built from a singular line of memories and records of the activities of individuals and the collective memories of everyone, institutions, and processes that have occurred through time.  These memories cut across the nation’s social, cultural, and systematised past, as well as the foundation for co-existence within a society and interaction with other societies. They are often re-enacted through images, texts, festivals, statements, and rituals that specifically address a particular issue in the general subject matter.  In the geographical area now known as Nigeria, these memories and history have been forming for thousands of years.”

Stakeholders from within and outside the university were present at the event. Aside academic and administrative representatives of the university, royal fathers were the chairman on the occasion and Olota of Ota Kingdom, Ogun State, Oba Adeyemi Abdulkadir Obalanlege, and HRM Fuankem Achankeng from Cameroon.