Nigeria in 2050 — The Nation that Saw
Written by Adeiye Oluwaseun-Sobo
Originally from the NGFP Futures Manifesto https://bit.ly/SOIFBlogFuturesManifesto
Kemi (pronounced as spelt) grabbed her briefcase from the passenger seat of her car and strode purposefully in her red patent 3-inch heels towards the entrance of the Ministry of Education for her 10am meeting with the Minister. They could have had this meeting virtually, as most meetings were held, but this was extremely important and some discussions regardless of technological advancements are best had face to face. Especially when what was being discussed had been years in the making.
She walked in the doors, went through security and up the elevator to the Minister’s floor where she swiped her access card to get in. Just as she stepped in, she set eyes on one of the most joyful sights- an old pupil turned colleague. Chuka. He was in her class in Grade 1 many years ago when the reforms started in the education sector.
After many years of pressure groups demanding improvements in the education sector, the world faced a pandemic- Covid-19- that accelerated the education landscape of the world. With borders closed and ease of traveling to acquire a degree limited, our politicians were forced to listen to what the experts and private sector had been demanding.
For years they had refused to answer the question “Who is Nigeria as a nation?” The fabric of who they were and who they wanted to be lay tattered in the laundry basket of the world till that year decades ago when they made the decision to determine who they were. That one decision changed the fabric of the nation. That one decision opened an avenue for reforms in the education sector as their ‘why’ and ‘who’ as a nation was critically woven into their curriculum.
And today, at the meeting with the Minister, which Chuka was present for to share his new technology, education representatives from around the world were getting on a video call. The topic: how a country like Nigeria with a population of over 200 million people and over 13 million out of school children and millions more in schools providing sub-par education, in that year, could move to less than that 5000 out of school children and the best standards and curricular the world over. How a country where citizens left in droves to seek education outside its shores has become one of the preferred for world-class education!
In that moment as with many moments before and hopefully many after, Kemi was proud to be Nigerian. She was honoured to have been a part of that change. She was grateful for what the pandemic forced them to accept and do. She was excited to see the manifestation of years of hard work and carefully guarding the vision of a nation.
Many had predicted a bleak future, but against all odds, the nation had prevailed - rising from the ashes to become a beacon of hope.
What a time to be alive!
Adeiye Oluwaseun-Sobo, Nigeria, NGFP special award Africa, 2019 - Adeiye is an educator with an interest in Foresight with an emphasis on Futures Literacy. She came into the field through UNESCO’s “Imagining Africa’s Futures” Project. She is eager to see how the principles of foresight can be infused into curricula across her home country.
www.linkedin.com/in/adeiyeoluwaseunsobo/
