AbdulRazaq says study of history key to national development

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara says the study of history is key to any national development.

AbdulRazaq, who made the remark while receiving a delegation of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN) on Sunday in Ilorin, said his administration would actively encourage the study of history.

“If you don’t know or learn from your history, you will be walking in the dark and struggle into the future. This is why the study of history is very key.

“We all know the importance of history and how colonialism has tried to bury our history and subjugate it for their own version of history,” he said.

The governor said his administration would support initiatives that would promote the study and appreciation of history in the society because of its relevance to human capital development.

“I am glad that we have people like the HSN to document our history and as we come along we have to look into our own contemporary history because today everybody is a journalist on the internet.

“So, we need professionals like you to set the record straight and be guided in the right history of our politics and traditions in Africa and the world in general,” he said.

Earlier, the President of the association, Prof. Okpeh Okpeh, who led the delegates, commended the governor for his clear commitment to education.

Okpeh said the HSN came to seek Kwara’s adoption of history across its schools and its support for the association’s upcoming events commemorating the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.

He said the Federal Government owing to the advocacy of the HSN, had agreed to return history back to the school curriculum but had delayed implementation.

“Part of the reason why history was removed from schools’ curriculum was that it was too complicated, too rigorous and we were asked if we could simplify it for pupils at primary and even secondary schools.

“So, the historical society took up the challenge and we have come up with books on the basis of revised syllabus.

“The federal government has delayed the official commencement of the distribution of the books. So, we are taking another strategy of linking up with progressive minded state governors.

“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has been identified as one of them. We are interacting with so many others but this is the first time the council is meeting with any state governor on this project,” he said.

Okpeh urged the governor to partner with the association to ensure that the books approved by the federal government for the first nine years of education were supplied to schools in Kwara.

“It is simplified history. It is history that tells the story of the people. In developing this, we operationalised a philosophy that we are not going to tell the history of Western Europe.

“We are not going to tell history of even West Africa. We are going to begin that history from our communities because if you don’t know yourself, you can’t know your neighbours.

“And if you don’t know your neighbours, you don’t know other people from other parts of the world,” Okpeh said.