By Aisha Lawal Ahmad
‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ This quotation by Nelson Mandela is one of the most famous sayings on the value of education. Nigeria is a country that is suffering from many problems, which make the country retrogressive, especially in the area of education.
A country with a weak system of education, issues like insecurity, bad leaders, illiteracy, bribery and corruption, unemployment, etc. are bound to happen. The worst problem among the ones listed above is that of illiteracy.Illiteracy is the state of being uneducated or lack of sufficient knowledge on a particular area or subject matter.
Educationis the knowledge acquired by learning and instruction. Education is the opposite of illiteracy, it is the process of training and developing the knowledge, skill, mind, character, etc. it is not just to know how to read and write but it is also a training on your characters or behaviors, skills, etc.Education has to be the more important aspect that Nigeria should care about. It is a powerful instrument in the advancement of individual and national goals. Education develops national consciousness and political awareness in people.
The reason why education is the best solution for Nigeria’s problems is because most of the problems the country is facing emanate as a result of high levels of illiteracy among people. Illiteracy is a stem that lead to issues like kidnapping, banditry, hired assassination, corruption, to mention a few. Thus, the country must understand that education is the solution to some of the problems this country is facing. Sadly, developing nations in Africa like Nigeria are encumbered with myriads of challenges in the educational system which has adversely affected national development. These challenges include inadequate funding in the educational system, lack of good teachers, poor credibility of academic qualifications obtained in Nigerian Universities and low quality in the educational programs.
To this end, educationis the weapon for Nigeria’s development. In order to develop ourselves as a country, people need quality education. When people are properly educated, the tendency of involvement in some problems in the society is minimal. Quality education leads to rational thinking among members of the society.
