Professor Toyin Falola, a globally recognized historian and prolific author, has called on Nigeria to prioritize human capital development and foster a value-driven society to achieve meaningful progress. Falola, delivering the fourth convocation lecture at Koladaisi University in Ibadan on Thursday, underscored that Nigeria’s future hinges on strategic investments in education, skill-building, and the reinforcement of values such as integrity, discipline, and social responsibility.
Falola, widely respected for his contributions to African history and the African Diaspora, is the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He has authored and edited over a hundred books, addressing audiences in over sixty-six countries. His lecture, “Advancing Nigeria’s Future,” highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to reverse its declining human capital trajectory, exacerbated by brain drain and an ailing education sector, and to re-establish societal values critical to national unity and development.
Falola argued that Nigeria’s educational system is the backbone of human capital development and, by extension, national progress. However, he noted that the current state of education in Nigeria is discouraging, with a staggering number of out-of-school children and an infrastructure deficit that hampers the quality of learning. “Education should be considered a serious business for any nation committed to human capital development,” Falola stated, emphasizing that only 6% of the 2024 national budget has been allocated to education. This inadequate funding, he argued, is insufficient to meet the needs of primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions across the country.
The historian attributed the increasing brain drain—a trend in which Nigeria’s best and brightest are migrating to Europe, North America, and other regions—to the lack of employment opportunities, poor wages, and a generally discouraging environment for skilled professionals. “This has militated against Nigeria’s efforts towards increased labor productivity,” he said, noting that skilled labor is the driving force of any economy. He called for the government to address these issues by creating a conducive environment that would allow talent to flourish locally, thereby reducing the flight of skilled labor abroad.
Moreover, Falola pointed out that Nigeria’s educational curriculum, modeled after foreign systems, often disempowers learners by failing to account for local realities. Citing Paulo Freire, he emphasized that “one’s world cannot be named with the words of others.” He argued that the reliance on foreign models strips students of cultural confidence, leaving them less prepared to address Nigeria’s unique challenges. He urged the government and educational authorities to design curricula that better align with Nigeria’s context, incorporating subjects that stimulate critical thinking and civic responsibility.
Falola also stressed that, beyond academic instruction, Nigeria must invest in a value system that promotes ethical standards, good governance, and civic responsibility. He explained that values—integrity, discipline, equity, responsibility, and honesty—are the foundation of a prosperous and harmonious society. “Imbibing good values fosters the advancement of a nation’s future; failure to do so has consequences for the nation’s stability,” he said, urging Nigerian families, educational institutions, and the government to collectively reinforce these values.
The historian recommended that value-based subjects like Civic Education and Social Studies be emphasized in schools to strengthen moral foundations among the youth. He added that societal values are not solely the responsibility of schools; families play a fundamental role in shaping children’s ethical compasses from an early age. “A family with solid societal values will instill these values in their child, who, in turn, becomes a responsible member of society. An adequately raised child presents one less challenge for the nation,” he noted.
Falola underscored that values are critical in fostering law and order, which are prerequisites for any nation’s advancement. “Attributes like self-discipline, honesty, equality, and respect for others create a stable environment for progress,” he said. He highlighted that these values should guide leadership, as only leaders with integrity and accountability can effectively drive national development.
Falola urged the government, families, and stakeholders to work collaboratively in promoting value-oriented programs, suggesting that the National Orientation Agency (NOA) take the lead in designing initiatives that champion societal norms and discourage media content that glorifies anti-social behavior. Furthermore, he recommended aligning national values with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure a holistic approach to social and economic development. “National goals must be synchronized with global frameworks for transformative learning and leadership,” he noted, stressing that values-based education is essential to producing responsible citizens who are equipped to advance Nigeria’s future.
According to Falola, values drive the personal, social, and interpersonal interactions that foster peace, stability, and patriotism within a nation. He explained that in a culturally diverse society like Nigeria, values are especially critical in bridging ethnic and religious divides. “For a pluralistic nation like Nigeria, home to diverse ethnicities, languages, and religions, values are necessary to cement national unity and strengthen the nation’s capacity for growth and development,” he said, calling for Nigeria to embrace values as a cornerstone of its identity both domestically and internationally.
He argued that Nigeria’s progress cannot be achieved without dedicated investment in both human capital and values. He warned that nations that pursue only technological or economic advancement without a foundation in ethics and values risk long-term instability. “Values entail the knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil, acceptable and unacceptable,” he asserted, noting that human behavior is fundamental to a nation’s advancement. Falola stressed that if Nigeria is to secure a prosperous future, it must prioritize the cultivation of values that promote unity, discipline, and civic responsibility.
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