History Beckons

James Stone

By

David Adejumo

The value of history to Nation building

Before I go any further, I would like to ask this simple question:

What do we make of our history?

Over the years, many have perceived history to be a subject for the arts students and it is to be studied only in schools, reserved for the classroom. History is seen as irrelevant and this is why we find ourselves repeating the mistakes of the past. One major problem with most Developing Countries of the world is the lack of knowledge of history, many having neglected history and are thus ignorant of the lessons it teaches. In the United states history is compulsory in the curriculum of students from junior to high school and even in colleges. No matter how long we neglect history, history is a necessity of life. In the pre-colonial African societies, history was a part and parcel of the life of the people, history influencing their societies in many ways.

History helps us to know and discover the roots of our problems so that we will find lasting solutions to the problems confronting us. A tree without its roots cannot flourish, therefore a people without the knowledge of their history cannot make progress. The lack of knowledge of history has made us remain confused, we have no knowledge of our roots so we are unsure of our future destination. The Middle East crisis has remained persistent for a while now due mainly to the fact that there is little knowledge of the root cause of the crisis. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be one of the foundation causes of this conflict, many Arab states having failed to recognize the state of Israel and this has caused conflict and strife in this region for many decades.

History helps us to reconstruct the past, in order to construct the present in anticipation for a better future. Through the knowledge of history, we will be able to construct a better future and chart a course for the future also.

The neglect of history among our youths and citizens has continuously drawn us back, many no more seeing the value in history which has made us gallivant round about in a vicious repetition of past mistakes. The past we refuse to learn from will come back to haunt us, we cannot run away from our history. The negligence of history has made us live in constant conflict and instability among ourselves.

A nation that does not know where it is coming from will never know where it is going to. Many Nigerians don’t know where we are coming from as a Nation, many having failed to recognize what brought us together to be a Nation.

History calls on us today, not to be prisoners of the past, it is a call to service, a call to Nationhood, a call to love for motherhood, a call to loyalty, integrity, love and patriotism.

History will judge us for our past, present and future dreams.

History calls on the present and future leaders to direct the hopes, dreams and aspirations of our Nation.

History will judge us, sooner or later.

David Adejumo

David Adejumo is a final year student of Bowen University, a young Diplomat and the President of the Department of History and International Relations Department, a blogger and a writer, who is preparing to publish his own book. He lives in Abuja and is also an Ambassador of Peace for the Global Youth Peace and Empowerment Initiative.