OPINION: When the majority of voters are illiterate, the least qualified would always win elections

By Anayo M. Nwosu

It then happened over fifty years ago in Nnewi when the majority of the citizens were uneducated. They were mostly traders and farmers with a handful of educated people working in government or serving as teachers or missionaries.


The venue was the football field of Nkwọ Nnewi Central Primary School located at the centre of Nnewi. The school sits on the exact point where the boundaries of four villages that make up Nnewi meet.

Nnewi youths had formed a developmental association named Nnewi Youth League led by Chief Osumụọ whose aims and objectives were to rapidly develop Nnewi through self help and donations from privileged citizens. Through their efforts, a post office, hospitals and schools were built. They built the famous Nnewi High School in 1962.

The Youth League new that Nnewi needed a massive increase in human capital development and that education of the young and the brilliant was the way to go. They then decided to give out many scholarships to brilliant Nnewi children in the universities all over the country and abroad. The union had realized that their town could be greater with very educated citizens.


It was then customary for the whole town to assemble annually to welcome the new graduates and to award another set of scholarships. For equity sake, the scholarships were awarded to four persons per year and  are evenly spread to all the four villages of Nnewi.

It was a great achievement for any village whose representatives did so well in school.

On one of those ceremonial days, the whole town assembled at Nkwo Central Primary School to host a crop of fresh university graduates sponsored by the Nnewi Youth League in various Nigerian universities.

Each of the graduands was required to come to the podium, say his name, his village, the university attended, course of study and his class of degree or grade made at final exams.

Nduka from Otolo village was the first to come out. He said that he read Geography from University of Ibadan and made Second Class Upper Division. Few people applauded him and he took his seat.

The scholars from Ụshụagụ and Ụmụdim who read History and Classics respectively announced that they made Second Class Lower Division and received applauses not as laud as that given to the earlier speaker from Otolo.

The "Lower" in their grades was viewed as not deserving of high accolades from the audience.

Then came Aghauche, the scholar from the last village of Nnewichi.

He approached the podium with a swagger that surprised his other scholars given that they knew that his performance didn't deserve accolades. But they were shocked by what followed.


Mazi Aghauche told the expectant crowd that not only did he graduate from the prestigious University of Nigeria, that came out with PASS Degree in English.

All the youths from Nnewichi and many success loving, open minded men and women from other three villages went into a frenzy and invaded the podium.

Aghauche was carried shoulder high from the venue to his father's house.

Why not?

They understood that Aghauche was the only person that passed amongst the scholars and in the University of Nigeria for that matter.

All efforts of by few educated people to correct or enlighten the crowd was rebuffed. They were termed envious and jealous. They were pushed aside as kill-joys.

Even Aghauche knew the truth within him.

He knew that he didn't deserve the accolades he was getting but he was enjoying it.

His uncle who was a  headmaster knew the truth but kept mute. How could he be seen as a kill-joy to the family?

If the Nnewi crowd were to elect one of the scholars to be sponsored for Masters Degree and PhD, the choice would obviously be Aghauche, the least qualified.

Of course, the smart Aghauche would never agreed to a debate before elections so that the truth would remain speculative and not confirmed.

Are Nigeria and its voters any better than Nnewi of 50 years ago?