Opinion: No Course Is Useless – A Response to Misguided Opinion

• By Emmanuel Ndubueze

Yesterday, I saw a disturbing video that sparked in me some shivers of disbelief and disappointment. In it, popular Nigerian clergyman and entertainer Chukwuemeka Cyril Ohanaemere, popularly known as Odumeje, (Indabosky and other names) boldly declared that certain courses – Microbiology, Library and Information Science, Political Science and History in particular are “useless.” I also had a good laugh as he struggled to pronounce their names, How would a sane person criticise what he knows nothing about? Something he cannot even pronounce correctly? With a wave of his hand and a smirk of certainty, he dismissed years of academic pursuit, intellectual rigor, and personal sacrifice, of course he is a prophet, and is meant to guide his followers to a glorious future but I must be honest, it was not just disappointing, it is dangerous.

When public figures make such careless statements, especially from a place of ignorance, it does more harm than they might ever realize. It is not about one man’s opinion but about what happens when that opinion becomes gospel for millions of young Nigerians already fighting hard to believe their dreams matter.

There is a glaring difference between making a joke and making a mockery of what you know nothing about – I have seen this most often in people who May have stumbled into popularity by accident. And in this case, someone with no verified academic background and little engagement with the structure or suffering of Nigerian educational system decided to discredit the very courses that shape the fabric of our society, something he knows nothing about.

I must state at this juncture, without mincing words and without fear of contradiction that no course of study is useless. Philosophy forms the intellectual foundation of ethics, logic, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Linguistics is central to communication, diplomacy, and even speech therapy. Theatre Arts birthed Nollywood, one of our biggest industries today and a host of others. Agriculture feeds the nation. Sociology helps shape policy and understand human behavior. Religious Studies supports interfaith dialogue, harmony and ethical discourse. History tells us who we are, where we have been, and where we should not return. How about Political Science? It is the foundation of governance, leadership, public administration, electoral systems, and the very democracy we still fight to preserve – this course prepares individuals to be responsible citizens and Leaders, Leadership in this sense does not merely relate to partisan Politics – in fact, that is even Secondary. One must learn to lead himself to a direction of quality life and success, we need Leadership skill in families, business, small communities, and a host of others not just in ‘politics’. It is only shalow-mindedness that will make one restrict this course to ‘Politics’.

To mock these disciplines is to insult the very backbone of society, those who research, record, and shape the systems that hold nations together. The tragedy is that many people who did not attend school feel the need to dismiss those who did – May be out jealousy or perhaps, ignorance. The truth is that your course does not determine your future, your mindset does and this also depend largely on hardwork, opportunity and creativity. I have  seen lawyers become singers, engineers become fashion designers, and people who studied Language (like Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa) lead successful multinational firms. Education is not a straight line, it is a toolkit. What you build with it is up to you and how you build it is your choice.

It is even funny to think that Odumeje who made mockery of Education did so through the instrumentality of people who studied Journalism, Media Production, Broadcasting, and IT, ironically! Some of the same courses are routinely mocked by those who do not understand them. The microphone he used, the camera that recorded him, the network that broadcasted him, all of it exist because someone believed enough in their “useless” course to pursue it anyway.

Without doubt, education is not the only way to succeed, but it is a noble, worthy one. Nobody is foolish for choosing to learn, no course is useless, not in this economy, not in this country. To survive school in Nigeria is to conquer a battlefield: ASUU strikes, skyrocketing fees, frustrated underpaid lecturers and staff, poor infrastructure and still, students rise, graduate, and strive to contribute to society. That is not uselessness, it is resilience.

Young Nigerians, do not be discouraged. Whether you’re studying Fisheries, Zoology, History, Religious Studies, or any of the courses they often call useless, your path is valid, and your choice is not foolish. For many of us, the journey even before gaining admission is a battle. You can score very high in JAMB and still be left behind by a broken system and forced to accept whatever course is available or wait endlessly while time, dreams, and age tick quietly away.

I know this struggle personally as someone that left secondary school in 2012, full of ambition and potential, but I did not gain admission for my dream course until 2017. That was five long years of what should have been my most productive youth. But I did not waste them anyway, I did a Diploma, learned skills, I grew, I adapted. Those very skills are what now help me navigate life as I prepare to launch fully into my professional journey as a lawyer.

So, if you are still in the waiting room or studying or have graduated from a course people love to mock, hold your head high, your ambition is sacred,  your effort is not a joke.

Again, it is still okay if you did not go to school, there are other paths (skills, crafts, tech, content creation, etc), but never you join the chorus of ignorance that mocks others simply because their path is different from yours. Education may not be everything, but it is something and in a world that is constantly watching and rapidly changing, degrees still open doors, not because they guarantee brilliance, but because they reflect discipline.

Let me also say this, some people mock certain skill sets too, forgetting that not everyone wears a tie to make an honest living. Vulcanizers, cobblers, hair stylists, janitors, mechanics, tailors, and other hands-on professionals are often disrespected by those who measure success only by titles. Yet, without them, our society cannot function optimally, families struggle and comfort disappears.

We must constantly remind ourselves that there is dignity in labour, whether your tool is a textbook, a keyboard, a wrench, a broom or a mop. What matters is that you doing something, solving problems, and doing it with integrity. We must respect people’s work, whether it comes with a certificate or a toolbox or just their bare hands, the truth is, it all matters – everything is important.

So, prepare, whether in the classroom or the workshop, roadside, in the studio or the boardroom, build something worth remembering. Because the future does not belong to those who mock effort. It belongs to those who make it.

Peace.