Why History Must Be Taught and Remembered.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by Saharaweeklyng.com

Forget the past and you’ll be forced to live it again; Nigeria is already starting to wake up.

History is not an academic luxury. It is the country’s sternest teacher, the ledger of collective consequence and the only honest mirror that shows us how we failed and why. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” wrote George Santayana; this is not a dusty aphorism to pin on a classroom wall. It is an instruction manual we have willfully left unread. When a nation forgets its history it does not simply lose stories; it loses memory, moral compass, judgment and ultimately, the capacity to choose a different tomorrow.

In Nigeria today, forgetting is not passive. It is active neglect: textbooks that skim over inconvenient truths, civic education squeezed out of curricula, institutions that fail to record and teach the consequences of past errors. The cost is measurable and repeated misgovernance, recycled patronage networks, periodic violence that re-enacts old scars and policy choices that ignore lessons learned in blood and ruin. If history is a map of past mistakes and triumphs, then Nigerians are driving blindfolded through familiar potholes while insisting the road is new.

Why teach history? First, history equips citizens with context. Without context, events become isolated shocks rather than symptoms. The 1967–1970 Civil War (the Biafran War), the long decades of military rule with recurrent coups/counter-coups and the structural economic choices made during the Structural Adjustment era did not occur in a vacuum, they grew from sequences of political miscalculation, exclusion and impunity. Understanding these sequences matters because patterns repeat: GRIEVANCES UNADDRESSED BECOME GRIEVANCES WEAPONIZED. The broad sweep of Nigeria’s modern political trauma is well documented; to ignore it is to invite DÉJÀ VU.

Second, history teaches judgment. Facts alone are inert and interpretation animates them into wisdom. When young people learn that autocratic shortcuts once crippled civic institutions and squandered public trust, they can judge proposals that promise quick fixes. When they learn how corruption metastasized under weak oversight and how weak states left citizens vulnerable, they are less likely to romanticize the next strongman who promises order in exchange for liberty. Good history resists slogans; it trains citizens to ask, “Who benefits?” and “At what cost?” UNESCO and contemporary historians argue that HISTORY EDUCATION STRENGTHENS CRITICAL THINKING and DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE; an indispensable bulwark against easy populism.

Third, history builds identity without myth. Nations that remember honestly can celebrate achievements and mourn failures simultaneously. The danger is not that history will unsettle pride; the danger is that it will be simplified into myths that obscure cause and effect. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned us about “the danger of a single story”: when a society accepts only one version of its past, it denies breadth, nuance and the plurality of experiences that make reconciliation and learning possible. Teaching multiple, competing narratives (including the voices of marginalized Nigerians) is not historical indulgence; it is democratic necessity.

Fourth, history deters impunity by naming consequences. Memory is a form of accountability. When public tragedies, human-rights abuses or corrupt betrayals are recorded and taught, they become part of the collective conscience; forgetting them normalizes transgression. Conversely, nations that institutionalize remembrance (through museums, truth commissions, public archives and mandatory curricula) make it harder for NEW LEADERS to CLOAK OLD CRIMES in SLOGANS. The lesson is not vindictiveness; it is prevention.

Some will object: “History is weaponized. It is used to inflame, to divide.” That risk exists, precisely because history is powerful. The solution is not amnesia; it is rigorous, honest, pluralistic education. Sell the binary of “history equals tribal grudge” and you guarantee perpetual cycles of recrimination. Teach history well, with source-criticism, empathy and comparative perspective and you inoculate citizens against simplistic redemptions and cynical political rewriting.

PRACTICAL STEPS NIGERIA MUST TAKE ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND URGENT.

Restore history to the core curriculum. Not as rote memorization, but as SOURCE-DRIVEN inquiry that trains students to evaluate evidence, weigh causation and draw lessons for civic life. Scholarly work on history education shows the subject’s central role in forming critical and CIVIC-MINDED CITIZENS not merely exam-takers.

Fund public history and archives. National and state archives, museums and memorials must be resourced to collect and preserve documents, oral histories and artifacts. Memory requires preservation; preservation costs money and political will.

Support independent scholarship and pedagogy. Universities and teacher-training colleges should be incentivized to research under-taught episodes (e.g., regional injustices, labour movements, youths/women’s activism) and train teachers to present complex narratives without sectarian spin.

Promote civic rituals of remembrance. Annual commemorations, responsibly curated exhibits and truth-and-reconciliation style forums can ritualize memory in ways that educate rather than inflame.

Make media partners in public education. Documentaries, serialized radio programs and investigative journalism can reach millions and translate complex histories into accessible narratives for citizens outside classrooms.

History is not only about the great men and battles; it is about ordinary people’s lives, the markets that closed, the clinics that shut, the communities displaced and the laws never passed. When a country loses these storylines, it loses the means to care for its own future.

Llet us be blunt: Nigeria’s current crises (whether economic mismanagement, insecurity or fragile institutions) have roots that would be obvious to anyone who bothered to read a proper civic history. We can trace policy missteps and political bargains to their sources. We can point to moments when accountability was surrendered and warn that surrender is contagious. To insist otherwise is to practice collective amnesia.

Finally, teaching history is a moral act. It affirms that the lives of the LONG-SILENCED matter. It says to those who suffered and to their descendants: we remember you; we will not let your sacrifice be erased. That moral commitment is what transforms memory into prevention.

If Nigerians choose to sleepwalk, future generations will inherit the bills for today’s neglect: loss of lives, diminished opportunity and a republic that has forgotten how it fell apart before. If we choose instead to teach history honestly and widely, we create citizens equipped to recognize patterns, challenge repetition and demand accountable governance.

History is knocking. The question is whether Nigeria will open the door with curiosity, humility and courage or keep sleepwalking into the same darkness.

The lesson of Santayana’s warning is not FATALISM; it is invitation: REMEMBER, LEARN and ACT.

Prisoners of the Pulpit: How Congregational Ignorance Fuels Decay.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

“Pastors exploit, but it is the blind loyalty of followers that keeps the chains of poverty locked.”

A Nation Enslaved by Ignorance.
It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Lagos. Outside the massive gates of a popular Pentecostal church, a shoeless young man selling sachet water argued passionately. The reporter had dared to question why his pastor needed a private jet while thousands of congregants could not afford three meals a day.

The young man, sweating under the sun, defended his “Daddy in the Lord” without hesitation:

“Leave my pastor alone! If he needs ten jets, let him buy them. He is doing God’s work.”

When asked if he himself had ever entered an airplane, the boy laughed bitterly. “No, but one day my seed will speak for me.”

That is Nigeria’s tragedy in one scene. A hungry man, who cannot afford transport beyond okada, defends the extravagance of a pastor who dines with politicians and owns fleets of cars. This is not faith, it is weaponized ignorance and it is destroying the nation more than bullets or bombs. “The tragedy of Nigeria is that the poor defend the rich who exploit them in the name of God.”

The Cult of Ignorance.
Nigeria’s greatest enemy today is not just the greed of pastors or the corruption of politicians; it is the ignorance of millions of followers who cheer while they are exploited. Congregants have been conditioned to see their poverty as proof of spiritual warfare and their pastor’s wealth as proof of divine favor.

As the scholar Paul Gifford put it, the prosperity gospel is “a theology of irresponsibility,” shifting blame for poverty onto demons and invisible forces, while exonerating pastors and politicians. Ruth Marshall, in her landmark study of Nigerian Pentecostalism, observed that followers often suspend critical thinking, treating total obedience to pastors as obedience to God.

This is why congregants defend jets while they cannot afford bicycles, why they fund multi-billion naira cathedrals while their children study under leaking roofs, why they clap when politicians are endorsed from the pulpit. Ignorance, sanctified in the name of faith, has become our greatest national chain.

Facts We Cannot Ignore.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) reported that 767 factories shut down in 2023 alone, with 335 more in distress. These were not just buildings, they were livelihoods. Yet, instead of saving industries, many of these abandoned factories were bought and converted into churches and prayer camps.

SaharaWeeklyNG.com have documented this disturbing trend. Where once machines roared and jobs were created, now microphones wail and offerings are collected. It is a cruel irony: Nigerians pray in the very spaces where they should be working.

The Obscene Contrast.
In 2015, a prominent Nigerian pastor justified his private jet by declaring that “commercial flights are filled with demons.” Another once said that a pastor without a jet is “not serious with God’s work.” Congregants roared in applause.

Meanwhile, the same congregations struggle to pay hospital bills, tuition fees and rent. Hunger stalks the pews, while luxury fuels the pulpit. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once warned: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” Nigerians are not neutral, they actively cheer their own oppressors.

IGNORANCE HERE IS NOT INNOCENCE. IT IS COMPLICITY.

The Political Dimension.
Pastors in Nigeria have long enjoyed cozy relationships with politicians, but it is the congregations who allow it. Instead of demanding accountability, they obey blindly when told: “Vote for this man; he is God’s chosen.”

This political obedience has devastating consequences. It delivers corrupt leaders to power through the pulpit pipeline. It makes democracy hostage to religion. It transforms the church from a house of prayer into an electoral machine.

Chinua Achebe’s words echo with chilling accuracy: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” But leadership is not only in Aso Rock; it is also in the pulpits. And behind every failed pulpit stands a congregation too ignorant to resist.

When Ignorance Becomes Idolatry.
Congregational ignorance has crossed into idolatry. Many followers no longer worship God, they worship their pastors. They defend their leaders’ excesses as though their salvation depends on it. They treat pastors as monarchs, untouchable and unquestionable.

Comedians capture this tragic reality best. I Go Dye once joked: “Na only for Nigeria you go see poor man dey shout ‘Papa ride on’ when pastor dey talk about private jet. But na that same man never chop since morning.” Gordons added: “If miracle dey work the way dem talk, why pastors no lay hand on Nigeria’s economy make e rise?”

Behind the laughter lies bitter truth: a nation cannot prosper when its citizens celebrate exploitation.

The Cost of Ignorance.
The economic cost is staggering. When billions of naira are poured into offering baskets instead of investments, industries die. When factories become prayer camps, unemployment rises. When congregations treat pastors as gods, politicians find in them willing allies.

The moral cost is worse. We are raising a generation that values PROPHECY over PRODUCTIVITY, MIRACLES over MANUFACTURING, SUPERSTITION over SCIENCE. A generation that believes poverty is caused by demons instead of failed policies.

A Five-Point Wake-Up Call to Congregations.
Ask Questions. Faith is not stupidity. Any pastor who discourages critical thinking is an enemy of progress.

Stop Funding Vanity. Before you contribute to your pastor’s new jet, ask: How many jobs has he created with the billions already collected?

Invest in Education and Skills. Don’t just sow financial seeds; sow into your children’s future.

Separate Faith from Politics. Your vote belongs to your conscience not your pastor.

Return to the Gospel of Work. Scripture says: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” Work not wishful thinking, builds nations.

Ignorance is a Choice.
It is time to stop pretending. Nigerians are not only victims of greedy pastors and corrupt politicians. Nigerians are also victims of their own ignorance. They willingly defend those who exploit them. They shout “ride on, Daddy!” even when Daddy rides on their backs.

As the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang: “Suffering and smiling.” That is the Nigerian congregation today; smiling as they suffer, clapping as they are robbed, singing as they are enslaved.

Final Word.
Nigeria does not lack PRAYERS; it lacks PRODUCTION. It does not lack PROPHETS; it lacks PATRIOTS. Until the congregation wakes up, pastors will keep flying jets, politicians will keep looting and factories will keep closing.

The ignorance of the congregation is the real altar where Nigeria’s future is being sacrificed. Until the pews open their eyes, the pulpits will keep feeding on their blindness.

*Nigeria is not dying because pastors are greedy; it is dying because congregations are blind.”

A Brighter Future for Asia”: Lord Chamberlain Welcomes Sultan Raja Datu Al-Sharif as Director General

The 5 Billion Humanitarian Projects Worldwide Inc. has a new leader for Asia, and it is a name already respected for his lifelong dedication to service: HRH Sultan Raja Datu Al-Sharif, Dr. Camad M. Ali.

The appointment drew heartfelt congratulations from H.E. Lord Chamberlain Ambassador (Dr.) Collins O. Peter, Secretary General of the organization, who described it as “a moment of hope and promise” for the continent.

“This is more than just a title,” Lord Chamberlain said warmly. “It is a recognition of Sultan Raja Datu Al-Sharif’s tireless commitment to humanitarian causes. His leadership and compassion will help us reach millions of people in Asia who need not only aid, but dignity and opportunity.”

Speaking from Diamond Castle Palace, Lord Chamberlain shared his personal admiration for the new Director General.

“He brings with him passion, vision, and a deep understanding of the challenges communities face. I believe his presence will not only inspire our team but also restore hope for countless families across Asia.”

For Lord Chamberlain, the appointment is not simply organizational—it is deeply personal.

“When I look at what we are building under the leadership of HIRM Emperor Nobilis Prof. Solomon Wining U., I see Sultan Raja Datu Al-Sharif as a true pillar of that vision,” he reflected. “I am confident he will excel, and I look forward to walking this journey with him.”

He closed his message with a simple but powerful blessing:

“May his time as Director General be remembered not only for achievements, but for the lives touched, the communities lifted, and the future made brighter for all.”

The organization’s leadership says this appointment marks a new chapter of hope for Asia, one that will be shaped by humanity, compassion, and action on the ground.