Actress Foluke Daramola Salako nailed it.

@folukedaramolasalako - Fact File! The Nigerian system of today only celebrate children who can sing and dance. They are the only ones the media and the TV stations are celebrating and organising awards for everyday. Many of our TV programs only celebrate those in the entertainment and sport industries! But, who is celebrating those who can read and write among these children? Who is celebrating those children who are academically interested and serious?! Who is organising awards for those academic super stars in other to celebrate them too? As it seems now, Nobody, except few of our governments! And that is why the interest of many children in academics is acutely dropping! That is why they no longer read! That is why they now fail woefully in academics and they win awards everywhere,dancing and singing. All what an average Nigerian child wants to do now is to sing, rap, dance or play football. This is because nobody celebrates them when they excel academically. One of my students recently told me, 'Sir, all I want to be is an R&B singer so that I can be a super star like Wizkid and co. I don't think I can achieve much reading and reading. Their is so much money singing and dancing in the Nigeria of today. Nigeria celebrates entertainers very well and it gives them so much influence and connections. And sir, who does not want to be celebrated? I want to develop my singing talent so that I can be celebrated too o!', he concluded. The question I am still asking is 'Who is celebrating academic excellence and achievements in the Nigerian child, lest 99% of Nigerians become entertainers one day?! Where are those award events for those schools, teachers and students that are doing well? Students no longer want to read because the system is not encouraging them. I know a student who can recite the lyrics of all the songs in Niger off hand, but ask him to recite the national anthem or give u an answer to 7*7 he does not know... -kayode Salako is a social wellbeing advocator and a foremost educationist of 26 years in Nigeria.