By Taofik Adekunle Jimoh (JAAT)

Ten years ago, I lost 70 marks in JAMB (230 out of 300), and it took the consolation of my brother Okeola Abass Abayomi for me to recuperate emotionally. He said nobody would have blamed me had I failed, as my mother had just died a few days before my exams. Who knows, I might have scored 299 like Onomejoh Princewill, the 2014 highest scorer.

Fast forward to 2024, the JAMB result statistics released are not only saddening but also call for serious concerns. And I also call it a seed sown decades ago which has begun to germinate.

Today, Nigeria has two generations (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) who don't see much good about education, and they don't see any reason why they should study hard because they don't want to "stress themselves." I speak from my knowledge of these generations (Gen Z and Gen Alpha); if you give them assignments, you will need to beg them to do it and explain how it will contribute to their GPA.

Some will even come back to tell you that the assignments you gave them are stressful, hence, they can't do them.

Giving them days' notice for tests, assignments, and exams doesn't mean they will come to school on the D-day. "I'm sick" and "I'm busy" are the most constant excuses I hear from them, and there's nothing to do. I always wonder, busy doing what exactly?

These are generations that are led to believe that everything is about money, and as long as you have it, through straight or curved means, you are good to go. It is a common scene to see secondary school students in public schools buying phones, clothes, and other stuff worth hundreds of dollars and thousands (if not millions) of Naira, and society appears unconcerned. This is a society that shames hardworking individuals and glorifies fraud and shortcuts. These teens are exposed to internet money and quick money-making systems, and there's no turning back, just like a domesticated lion tasting blood for the first time.

When discussing this earlier today, my Brother Saheed Olayinka-Olaiya Shittu said, "Do they have to (study)? How long does it take for those who choose integrity and hard work to succeed compared to how long it takes a TikTok dancer, political thugs and sycophants, Yahoo runners, drug peddlers, treasury looters, etc to succeed?

"Of all the above, the TikTok dancer has the most honest job; it hardly adds anything to people's lives, but they would rather watch hours of dance than minutes of learning."

This society is not encouraging hard work and talents if the two are not producing money quickly. People with the best university certificates are seen roaming the streets hunting for jobs every blessed day, so how would that motivate their family, especially younger brothers or sisters, that education is the key?

Some brilliant and talented graduates have been forced to take up alternatives for survival. Well, it is said, "to say you are from me is better than everything on your CV."

I know a colleague who resigned from his lecturing job because the highly exalted job has now been subjected to ridicule.

Despite going to work every day, the management said they will be paying them every semester (3 months), and it will also depend on the number of courses they were taking. Imagine going to work every day and being paid 30k after three months because you took three courses throughout the semester? I know two tertiary institutions that adopt this payment system.

People will be looking at you from the outside and say, "he's a big man. A lecturer at so and so," but in all honesty, you earn 40 - 50k in 3 months. Everyone knows salary earners clear their debts at the end of the month. How would you explain "at the end of the semester (3 months)" to those you owe?! On top of 50k!

Taofik Adekunle Jimoh (JAAT) is the editor of News Bulletin Nigeria, Newsbulletin.com.ng.