There’s a peculiar sickness that has gripped our dear Nigeria, one that doesn’t cause fever or headache, but swells the ego faster than garri in hot water. My brother and friend, full professor. (not in view) Chris Kwaja, recently wrote on his Reflections—“Nigeria and the obsession with titles. What title is Ph.D in view?” It was one of those posts that stab the conscience but tickle the ribs at the same time. When I saw it, I called him—“Chris, my brother in view, and we had an extensive conversation on how we got here.
We both laughed, sighed, and asked the same question: Who should we blame? The Mallam in view or the system that is viewing him?
Let’s not pretend—we are a title-loving people. From “Honorable” to “Engineer,” “Chief,” “Alhaji,” “Evangelist,” and now, “Ph.D (in view).” Somewhere in this jungle of academic aspirations, we have turned “in view” into a permanent residence. In Nigeria, once you start your Ph.D, even if you haven’t finished your proposal, you have earned the social right to update your WhatsApp bio to: Dr. (in view).
And woe betide you if you forget to add it in your next conference attendance tag, how else will people respect you? You cannot just be “Mr. Okoro.” God forbid! You must be “Dr. Okoro (in view).” Even if the view is still in the far horizon like the Mambilla Plateau seen from Wukari.
Once upon a time, we went to school to learn. To read, to think, to expand our minds, to pursue knowledge for its own sake. Now, education is a fashion show. The Ph.D gown has become agbada for intellectual owambe.
Back in the day, we used to say “He is a scholar.” Now, we say “He has a Ph.D.” The difference? The scholar reads, the Ph.D poses.
The road to the doctorate, which should be a lonely and rigorous journey of research and reflection, has turned into an expressway of certificates-for-sale. Somewhere in the crevices of our educational system, PhDs are being issued faster than sachet water. For the right price, you can get your “Doctorate in Leadership and Transformational Strategic Governance” from a mushroom university that doesn’t even have a functioning website.
It used to be cars, then houses, then foreign trips. Now it’s a Ph.D. And like all Nigerian status symbols, it’s not the substance that matters, it’s the show.
At weddings, people now introduce themselves like this: