Actor and former Big Brother Naija star Seyi Awolowo has broken down the real causes of the ongoing “Olodo Uprising” debate, linking it to corruption, bad leadership and a failure to update Nigeria’s education system.
Appearing on the Conversations With Kenni podcast hosted by Kehinde Ajose, Seyi addressed the public conversation that began after rapper Ycee highlighted a cultural shift rewarding ignorance and viral entertainment over intellectual excellence.
“It’s a multifaceted situation because it’s also as a result of corruption and bad leadership with policy building and not wanting to evolve our educational system, and still trying to stick with the old ways,” Seyi said.
He explained that while learning methods and ideologies have changed over time, with more people becoming visual learners, the country refused to adapt.
“Over time, paradigms shift, ideologies shift, and modes of education were being developed, but we were still being dogged in our ways. People became visual learners. Different strokes for different folks but we however chose not to evolve.”
Seyi pointed to social media’s role in attaching materialism to intellectual bankruptcy.
“We got to the current stage when social media has come to play and people are using materialism to defend intellectual bankruptcy.”
He noted that wealth without education is not new, but the current problem is the public message that one must act dull or stupid to succeed.
“We don’t need to celebrate stupidity and allow it translate into wealth, whereas there are people who are studying themselves off.”
He also challenged the dominance of English in Nigerian schools. When asked if English is the best way to communicate ideas, Seyi replied:
“No it’s not. The Chinese speak Chinese. The Japanese speak Japanese. So clearly, they think in their local languages.”
He recalled how students were punished for speaking Yoruba, which was labelled vernacular.
“My mother’s tongue was ‘vernacular.’ These things affect people because English is not for everyone… If they were speaking their own languages, it’d have been easier.”
Seyi Awolowo, grandson of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, has previously spoken about the need to value brilliance over popularity. His latest comments add depth to the national debate that has drawn in creators, educators and public figures.