The great global icon of liberation, late Nelson Mandela’s equally iconic quote, “Education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world” seems to have been thrown to the dogs by a gang of senior students in Isanbi Comprehensive High School, Ilisan-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, who waylaid and assaulted one of their teachers, Kolawole Shonuga, who had stopped one of them from cheating in an examination.

Another huge paradox is that Ikenne is renowned for being the ancestral home of the symbol of free education in Western Nigeria, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. His vision was to empower the people with education through a credible process. However, the suspect in the cheating allegation, 18-year–old Ashimi Adebanjo has had his SS1 Art paper seized when he was caught cheating.

The suspect then connived with his mates and waylaid the teacher on his way home and beat him up. One Kazeem Adelaja allegedly hit Mr. Sonuga with a stick on his head as others continued beating him. Fortunately, the Ogun State Police Command spokesman, Omatola Odutola, confirmed that about 10 of the students had been arrested after the victim formally reported to the police.

The Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in the state, Felix Agbesanwa, equally confirmed the incident and insists that the students must not only be arrested but be fully prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. The state government too through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, equally condemned the heinous act and insisted the government would not condone indiscipline in schools.

However, this incident is not the first in Ogun State and even some other states in the country. In 2021 alone, the state recorded four such incidents in some of its public schools. The state government had, due to the frequency of such indiscipline, introduced a compulsory undertaking signed by students and their parents to curb hooliganism.

are outraged at this very sad news but not totally surprised. The country has been drifting downwards in all sectors in the last few years. There is a total loss of values in the society such that the smallest unit of the society, the family, has taken a direct hit. The result is that there is almost total failure of parenting and mentorship. Children often display what they observe around them. They see the societal dysfunction in all sectors.

Nigeria seems to be a nation where certificates rather than education and skills is the focus. The struggle to acquire certificates by all means stems from the prevailing situation where certificates are considered the only qualification needed for jobs or political purposes. There seems to be less emphasis on character development and integrity. The phrase considered “fit in character and learning” seems to be watered down surreptitiously by the society.

Over the years, education, both informal and formal, seems to have lost their fervour. Different tiers of government are supposed to be in charge of education and as such roll out policies that would guarantee the best quality education for every child. Rather, we seem to see a continual emphasis on structures (buildings) by politicians, with no due diligence paid to the processes, like the integrity of learning and certificates.

The failure of parenting can be arrested by governments that have the duty of protecting the future of the country. Parenting duties include but not limited to birthing, providing shelter and food. The socio-cultural ethos of the different tribes all aggregate to certain values shared in common. Discipline, respect, integrity and the likes are supposed to be instilled in children by parents. It is sad that children are now growing to see their parents primarily not holding these values dear. Most of the parents display the negatives of these values and their children watch and replicate.

Most parents feel that their children must move ahead academically even when they do not qualify. We have reports of parents aiding and abetting cheating by or for their children from the primary to university levels. Some parents pay for admissions instead of allowing their children use their brain, some pay for ‘special centres’, a euphemism for centres where examination fraud is often committed. Such parents invariably send the wrong message to the children that it is acceptable to go through the back door.

The biblical, “Train a child in the way he should go and when he grows he will not depart from it”, rings through under this circumstance. When the misdirection comes from home then the child gets into a society and displays indiscipline and other social vices. In some cases when suspects like these students are even apprehended, some parents use their influence to prevent them from facing justice. They get away and rely on influence peddling for the rest of their lives.

The larger society and government institutions must make sure that punishment and reward serve their purposes in the society. The children look at the society and take their cues. So the students in Ogun State must have been seeing issues in the news, they must have seen impunity at all levels with no punishment. If the four cases in the same state had been well prosecuted and the suspects punished, may be the recent one would not have happened.

The students have observed many adults seemingly get away with blue murder literally, so they could take liberties. Despite the 2021 undertaking signed by parents and students in the same state, they were not deterred. That is the result of the failure of state institutions to work conscientiously to get the system to be functional. The incident in Ogun is a reflection of the society in its entirety. The reign of jungle justice is rife. The absence of functional state institutions, the idea of people taking the laws into their hands is seen all over. In the last few years, we have seen the Deborah and the butcher’s killing in Sokoto State, with no consequences. We recently saw a graduate with mental health issues killed in Bayelsa State with no outrage. There are various reports of domestic violence and spousal murders that have not been prosecuted, so the students apparently felt that they too can take liberties.

We must understand that every institution is part of a bigger whole. We must begin to be concerned about the children by building institutions that would functionally serve everyone. Law and order must work before the system works. We expect that the affected institutions and agencies of government must make scapegoats of those students because some of them are up to 18. The others should be tried as minors. The teacher must be given therapy and other medical assistance. The dignity of the teacher must be restored if we are not to jeopardise the country’s future.

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