Galloway's 1956 Warning on "Useless Disciplines" in Nigeria

In a lecture delivered on January 11, 1956, at University College Ibadan, Scottish theologian Allan Douglas Galloway addressed the concept of "useless disciplines" in academia, particularly within the Nigerian context. He argued that disciplines such as philosophy, history, sociology, and literature are often undervalued in terms of their market relevance and tangible contributions to national development.

Galloway's remarks resonate with contemporary issues in Nigerian education, where a 2007 decision by the Federal Minister of Education to exclude certain subjects from the curriculum had lasting negative effects until a restoration in 2022. The article warns against a narrow utilitarian vision in education, as recent plans by the Federal Ministry of Education to purge "useless" disciplines echo Galloway's concerns from the 1950s.

The Nigerian Philosophical Association has called for a restoration of critical thinking and intellectual rigor in academia, emphasizing that no academic discipline is inherently useless.