Rhodes-Vivour seeks reform in history teaching, says ‘syllabus still stuck on Mungo Park’

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos, has criticised the newly reintroduced history curriculum, describing it as “mediocre and pedestrian”.

The federal ministry of education had earlier announced that history would once again become a compulsory subject in basic education to strengthening national identity and patriotism.

But in a post on X, Rhodes-Vivour noted that the syllabus as designed falls short of such lofty ambitions.

“Whilst we applaud the reintroduction of history into our classrooms, the syllabus is both pedestrian and mediocre at best,” he wrote.

He said history should be treated as a tool for nation-building, one that can highlight interlinks, broader themes, and lessons from global events.

The politician noted that with the knowledge and resources available to today’s educators, history must be taught in ways that connect Nigeria to broader world currents.

He gave the example of Mansa Musa’s legendary voyage, which impacted global gold prices and, in his view, contributed to the eventual colonisation of Africa.

Rhodes-Vivour suggested that Nigeria’s curriculum designers take cues from other nations that have used history as a vehicle for identity formation.

“The government should research China’s syllabus, research American history syllabus, and how, by linking to Rome, they built a bigger identity for themselves,” he said.

He warned that the current approach risks leaving students unmotivated, recycling narratives that fail to connect past lessons to present realities.

“It is 2025 — our syllabus should not be 1960-era ‘Mungo Park discovered River Niger’,” he added.

According to him, the ultimate goal of reintroducing history should be to inspire pride, critical thinking, and a sense of belonging among young Nigerians, not merely to rehearse outdated colonial tropes.