Our University Education And Religion, Where Are We Going? - A True Fact

Our University Education And Religion, Where Are We Going? - A True Fact

As a child, I had very high hopes for my university education, it was supposed to be the place where I would meet some of the greatest minds of my generation.Then I went to a Nigerian university and met a bunch of dumb wannabe ' PASTORpreneurs ' and their unbearably naive flock of ' SHEEPle '. Boy was I disappointed! Our schools are breeding grounds for extreme religiosity rather than extreme academics. In my school, there were no book clubs, no science clubs, no study groups; just fellowships.

Everywhere you went at night, there was a different Christian fellowship to greet you, after filling up every available reading space, they would go on to the football field, the basketball court, the Science Park, hell, they even had one on the bloody sideway! it was that serious. " The Sidewalk Ministry ", that is not their actual name by the way, just something I made up (honestly, I do not even know if they have got a name at all). These guys were ridiculously hilarious.

You would normally find them every other evening gallivanting " up and down " on the roadside, blabbing away (speaking in tongues), howling like animals on heat and running all around the place like a bunch of escaped lunatics from a mental institution. I have got to admit, it was funny watching them fool around, to be honest. I remember one particular evening, we had a fixed lecture on the first floor of the Science Block 'A' and there was a Christian fellowship banging away on the second floor right above us. The fellowship was being held in a regular sized classroom, but they had a full drum set banging, coupled with trumpets, guitars, a piano, their singing, shouting, howling and blabbing (Speaking in tongues). We could not hear a word the lecturer was saying over the hocus-pocus.

Eventually he got really pissed and sent our course Rep. to ask them to stop the fellowship immediately; because we were in a school and not a church. The brethren departed after much protests. Looking at us through the classroom windows as they walked by, they had this disgusted ' God forbid ' look on their faces like they were looking at a legion of demons and condemned souls straight out of Hades. You know what, let me stop with all the reminiscing. I figure you get the point already.

You see, while university students in other parts of the world are busy making ground breaking discoveries, carrying out extensive scientific research, developing tangible ideas, creating amazing inventions and making the world a better place, Nigerian university students are busy ' fellowshipping '. We build scores of churches in schools but lack laboratories, We donate millions of naira into church development funds on campus but don't spend a dime on school excursions. Before you get to my school gate, right after the school sign board, there are over 15 sign posts of different churches bidding you welcome; not a single one belonging to an academic society.

The only time I ever heard of the National Association of Physics Students or the National Association of Science Students in my school was either during campus elections or student's registration. These associations are otherwise useless to the academic development of students. Regardless of the apparent " Godliness " being thrown around all over the place, campus cultism and moral decadence was never curbed. We were very notorious in those aspects. Shocking isn't it?

We have raised a whole generation of young people to live with one foot in this world and the other foot in the afterlife; teaching them to ignore the physical world before their very eyes whilst focusing on an imaginary afterlife paradise, and you wonder why the country Nigeria (our physical world) is in jeopardy. Our youth are raised on principles of ignorance, irrationality and zero common sense. That is why we keep relying on divine intervention to solve our problems for us like religion has ever made any country great." God will help us ", a Nigerian's favourite quote.

Why should we worry about scientific inventions when there is a paradise waiting for us in the afterlife and all we got to do to get to it is pray till we draw our last breath? Surely having a religion is more important than anything else in this world. More important than an affordable cure for cancer, more effective malaria vaccines, technological advancements and even common sense. By all means let's leave scientific discoveries and technological advancements to the Asians, Europeans and Americans to worry about. These are carnal desires and we are heavenly people.
The ball is right in your court and you really have to think to hit it, it is all your choice now, use your head, my people.

Credit: Eze Drizzy Jude