Nigeria Has Progressed—Parents, Face Your Duties

UCHE NNADOZIE

I remember when I wrote WAEC and JAMB—it was tough. Back then, we queued for hours at the WAEC office on Ijaiye road, Ogba, sometimes in four or five rows stretching over a kilometre, just to be told there were no forms. You returned the next day, praying and struggling again. When you finally got the forms, the submission process was even worse. It could take two weeks just to complete. Despite being teenagers then, no parents followed us—everyone knew it was your journey.

AfriBank was a popular centre for buying forms—WAEC or JAMB, I can’t even recall. But it was part of the hustle. Today, all that stress is gone. You can register from your phone at home or the business centre next door. No jostling, no fights—just a soft life.

Yet, the same parents who witnessed this hardship are now on social media crying that “Nigeria is hard” for their kids. Any slight inconvenience and they’re blaming the government or any other person. Really? What is hard, exactly?

These days, some parents practically babysit their kids in university. Worse still, they expect lecturers and classmates to do the same. They cheat for their children, defend indiscipline, and ignore warning signs. At 16, some of these kids use the latest iPhones—not for educational apps, but for betting, porn, games, and endless online drama.

I saw a video where a lecturer lamented that fewer than 30 students out of 300 attended his ND 1 class. ND oh! Shocking, yet many adults defended the students and blamed the teacher for complaining. Even worse are the adults who encourage this bad behaviour online while setting stricter standards for their own children.

People, return to your children. The 2025 JAMB results are an alarm bell. This failure isn’t just about the system; it reflects parental neglect. Despite having computers everywhere, many of the kids found it hard to use one during the CBT. Many of you don’t want your children to face what you did, but ask yourself—what exactly did you go through? That hardship built resilience. Now, we pamper irresponsibility and call it love.

Enough. Let’s stop raising entitled children who lack discipline and drive. If you want better for them, start with better parenting. The future depends on it.