As Nigeria marks her 65th Independence Anniversary in 2025, the mood across the nation is not one of triumph but of tension. For many young Nigerians, this milestone is less about celebrating progress and more about confronting the bitter truth of unfulfilled promises. From underfunded schools in rural villages to urban centers where survival requires daily hustling, the same question echoes: What does the Nigerian Dream look like today? For too many, the Nigerian Dream seems invisible — if it exists at all.
The Nigerian Dream cannot be borrowed from foreign models of white-picket fences or suburban comfort. For us, it must mean a life of dignity, opportunity, and contribution where citizens have a chance to earn a decent living through honest work, have access to education and skills that unlock potential, enjoy freedom from fear, hunger, and systemic neglect, and possess the ability to build, create, and leave a legacy.
But this dream often clashes with Nigeria’s current realities: failing schools, an economy strained by inflation and unemployment, and institutions too slow or unwilling to reform. The result is widespread disillusionment — especially among the youth, who make up over 60 per cent of our population.
Yet, hidden in plain sight, there is a tool that can help us reclaim agency. Ironically, it is the very subject many young Nigerians fear most: mathematics.
Mathematics is not simply a classroom subject. It is a way of thinking — about problems, possibilities, and progress. It teaches us to identify patterns in chaos, ask the right questions before making decisions, measure progress with clarity, and break big problems into solvable steps. As the late Professor Chike Obi, the first Nigerian to receive a PhD in Mathematics, demonstrated, mathematics can shine even in the hardest conditions. At a recent event, distinguished academic Ibidapo-Obe declared: “Mathematics is fundamental to all other disciplines … it is very important to have a calculative and analytical mind where everything has to be measured; the economy has to be measured, productivity has to be measured …” He urged young people not to shy away from mathematics. Ajoritsedere Josephine Awosika, a former Permanent Secretary , reminds us: “The biggest impediment to a progressive society is a malnourished mind, and the best medicine for a malnourished mind is education.”
In a nation where dreams are often dismissed as unrealistic, Mathematics provides both the logic and the structure to transform disillusionment into empowerment. Too many Nigerian youth believe, “I can’t do math.” We face real obstacles such as math anxiety and poor teaching that leave many students convinced they “can’t do math.” Added to this is the issue of digital divides in the education sector. This divide means that millions of young people lack stable electricity, reliable internet access, or digital devices. Systemic neglect — from diversion of funds to infrastructure decay — further proves that personal effort cannot and must not replace the need for sound policies and functioning institutions. These barriers matter. Unless we face them, mathematics risks sounding like an abstract ideal instead of a practical tool.
So how do we build the Nigerian Dream with mathematics? How do we move from possibility to practice? We should begin from the foundational level by making mathematics not just a classroom subject, but a national strategy for empowerment. Femi Gbajabiamila, speaking on grooming young people to be leaders rather than dependents, once said: “For me, youth empowerment is the real empowerment because it prepares you for the future.” By reframing the narrative of mathematics, we should move successfully from fear to freedom. Learners at all levels will then realise that mathematics is not punishment, rather, it is power.
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Equally, there is a need for teachers of mathematics at all levels to understand that they have a duty to teach the subject as an empowerment tool. Mathematics teachers especially those at the foundational level must be trained not just in content but also in pedagogy that builds problem-solving, curiosity, and resilience. There should be recognition, rewards, and funding for those using mathematics to solve real-life problems through mathematics-driven innovation challenges. Parents also have a stake in helping their children see this. And importantly, the media must, as a matter of national development, present mathematics as a tool for solving life problems such as budgeting, farming, and trading — not merely as a subject for passing exams.
Another important point is that the government, in collaboration with private organisations, companies, and non-governmental groups, must ensure that digital tools are not only available but accessible. This can be achieved by expanding low-cost access to digital resources. Offline math resources — such as booklets, radio programmes, and community learning hubs — must also reach rural and underserved communities. Youth should be taught to use math to run micro-businesses, organise community projects, and plan personal goals. Civic groups can apply statistics and data analysis to hold leaders accountable. Policymakers must integrate financial literacy, data literacy, and problem-solving into school curricula. Community leaders and private sector partners should sponsor math-driven innovation challenges that reward practical solutions. Progress must be measured not only in exam pass rates but also in how mathematics improves income, reduces waste, and inspires entrepreneurship.
At 65, Nigeria’s future cannot be sustained by slogans or symbols alone. Patriotism today must be about building where things are broken, teaching where knowledge is missing, and creating where opportunities are denied. Mathematics, often dismissed as irrelevant, is in truth a liberation strategy. It gives us the ability to design the Nigerian Dream ourselves, instead of waiting for it to be handed down from above.
Because sometimes, the best way to fix a broken nation is to first fix how its citizens think, plan, and act. And that begins with logic. With structure. With mathematics. If Nigeria is to move from disillusionment to empowerment, we must reclaim mathematics — not as a subject, but as a strategy. As a people, we owe that to ourselves.
ByIbeazor Joshua PTA Mathematics teacher JSS Wuse Zone 3 Abuja. jibeazor@gmail.com
