On a bright, sun-warmed day in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, a land of giants, a Lilliputian came out and bared the full length of her fangs. For Precious Mbakwe, a third-year student of History and International Studies, an interruption to her TikTok video recording session was a mortal invasion of privacy, regardless of who the interruption came from and the circumstances of the interruption. So, when it happened, she fought back, ripping clothes, inflicting bites and drawing blood. Her lecturer, Dr. Chukwudi Okoye, who is with the Department of Theatre Arts, suddenly became her victim for asking her to leave the hallway for him to pass. For his effrontery to ask her to clarify her comments and delete the TikTok video she had made, she fought him, fending off the intervention of her fellow students.

The university management has quickly set up a committee to probe the incident and recommend appropriate sanctions.

But, there is need to ask what schools in Nigeria have now become even as the country continues to decline steeply. The university system in Nigeria is used to frequent squabbles between lecturers and students. Usually, it is the students who are the victims or play the victim, whether of sexual harassment, victimization or just plain old humiliation. However, in this case, a lecturer was the victim for once.

From the video which has since gone viral, it can be seen that something has been lost in the fabric of education in Nigeria. The rugged but refined discipline which used to distinguish students from non-students has since given way to the kind of wild rebellion that is quickly spreading like wildfire. The implications are far-reaching, for without discipline education is almost always an empty husk.

As many families have abandoned their primary responsibility of inculcating moral values in their children, schools, and teachers are being put under impossibly unbearable strain. When these kids who are just a little less rebellious than wild dogs turn up in school, teachers have to do their bit in circumstances which are far from ideal.

Tasked with picking up pieces strewn about by irresponsible and careless parents, teachers have to do the impossible while facing ceaseless scrutiny from a judgmental society, and ruinous rebellion from students spoiled silly by derelict parents, who ironically tell them to know their rights.

In Nigeria today, many people continue to ask that if education is the key, where is the door? They ask this question because they can neither feel nor see anything, and when it matters, they are ultimately left with nothing.

What is the relevance of education if those who are supposedly getting educated cannot get even the basics right?

In the pyramid of education in Nigeria, tertiary institutions occupy the highest point. However, that highest point oftentimes proves the rotting point and as fish usually begins to rot from the head, there is nothing left at the end of the day.

Education in Nigeria is quickly becoming a nightmare for teachers and students alike. While students have to cope with sometimes inept, demotivated or randy teachers, teachers have to tame defiant and rebellious students, who draw the fire burning in their eyes from the burning wreckage of a society that promises to leave nothing to them.

Appropriate sanctions should be recommended and handed down in all cases where there is a breach of discipline or professionalism between teachers and students.

However, in those moments when blood inevitably rushes to the head between students and teachers, may the light of education offer the clarity that is needed to navigate the darkness.

*Obiezu can be reached at keneobiezu@gmail.com.