June is usually a rainy month in Nigeria, roads or whatever is left of them are regularly flooded. What however is flooding the public discourse is the puported removal of Christian Religious Knowledge (known as BK during my time in school) as a subject from the school curriculum by the Federal Government.


Though, the Federal Government has issued a denial and Nigerian Educational and Research Development Council (NERDC) has corroborated through its chairman the fact that the above is just a false assumption. I hope not, because in our attempt to please all the parties that make up the contraption called Nigeria, we have often allow other consideration rather than merit to guide and inform our public policy.


Despite the government’s rebuttal, the storm generated by the controversy continues to gather like a turban. The jokers in government do not take themselves seriously, I honestly do not know why we do.


Here is the point: Israel and Saudi Arabia both remain the religious capitals of the world, irrespective of our piety. Israel is a signatory of the Convention against Discrimination in Education, and by virtue of that, operates an Arab education system for the Israeli-Arab minority, teaching Arab students, in Arabic, about their history and culture. That is how expansive their education policy is, and how broad minded these folks are.


I remember telling my kids when we just got here and  they complained of ostracism in school, that they need to introduce themselves to be known. They retorted that they already gave a bio profile of themselves in class. We obviously were not on the same page until I told them introduction is performance based in school. A term and many honour roll later, they are now the toast of the school!


Similarly, as a country, we are not going to join the league of developed and industrialized nations by converting all warehouses and industrial cottages to churches. Neither will our adept knowledge of the Bible get us either to United Nation permanent membership nor anywhere near heaven. We must as a nation elevate our discourse, up our games and commit religion to where it belongs-our heart, as we free our

brain for more cerebral issues.


Right now, we are not thinking. And it is not by who you know; it is by what you know. In all thy getting, get wisdom.