DARAMO

Mental Slavery and Religion in Africa By Kingsmart Mental slavery is when your mind is chained even after your body is free. In Nigeria and across Africa, the strongest chain today is the way religion has been used to erase how we think about ourselves. They replaced our names with their names Before colonialism, an Igbo child was named okoro, a male child, Nwando, nkwo, Nweke. Those names spoke to our relationship, with ancestors, with the land. Missionaries told us those names were “pagan.” So we dropped them for John, Mary, Peter. When you can’t even keep your name, you stop knowing who you are. They made us ashamed of our own system What we called Odi na be ndi — the way of the people — was labeled idolatry, darkness, witchcraft. Our elders became “witch doctors.” Our festivals became “evil.” Our courts became “backward.” Once you make a people ashamed of their system, they will beg for yours, even if yours doesn’t fit their land. They made religion separate from life In Africa, spirituality was never separate from farming, justice, family, and war. It was all one system. The Europeans split it. You go to church on Sunday, then live under colonial law and colonial education the rest of the week. That split created confusion. Now we pray for what our ancestors would have built with their hands. The chain is still in the mind The physical slave trade ended, but the mental one didn’t. Today many Nigerians will defend foreign religious leaders more than their own history. We argue about which foreign book is right, while our own proverbs, laws, and knowledge sit in dust. That’s mental slavery: fighting for the prison that holds you. Breaking it Breaking mental slavery doesn’t mean hating other religions. It means knowing what was yours before they came. It means calling Odi na be ndi by its name again. It means teaching your children their language, their history, and their way of organizing family and community. A free mind remembers first. --- Image to use: A symbolic photo showing an African elder teaching children under a tree, with traditional symbols like the kola nut and umunna meeting in the background, while faded images of a church and colonial documents sit in the background out of focus. The focus is on the elder and children — showing the return to what was ours.

Candidates seeking admissions into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME.

If no be say Nigeria don spoil watin go make this one dey open mouth talk rubbish?

WHY JAMB EXEMPTS EDUCATION AND AGRICULTURAL NON-ENGINEERING STUDENTS FROM TAKING UTME JAMB says the exemption is aimed at increasing enrollment in Education and Agriculture-related courses, reducing UTME pressure, and solving the shortage of teachers and agricultural professionals in Nigeria. According to the Federal Government, many students avoid these courses because admission has become too stressful and competitive. Under the new policy, candidates applying for: - Education programmes - NCE courses - Agriculture-related non-engineering courses may gain admission without writing UTME, provided they meet the required O’Level qualifications and complete JAMB registration for CAPS verification. The government says the goal is to create alternative admission pathways while boosting manpower in sectors critical to education, food security, and national development. Important: The exemption does NOT include Agricultural Engineering or other Engineering courses. Implementation is expected to begin from the 2027 admission cycle.

Who should stand up for David Raya 🤔