Academic Geography, Nigerian Universities and post-modern realities

Geography has become such an important field of knowledge with several academic traditions which sometimes overwhelm the capacity of students to fully comprehend its scope. It seems more dreaded especially at the mention of ‘maps’ and ‘map-making’. Outside the borders of the discipline, geography is associated with maps and map-making with the implication that a prospective candidate’s primary interest in the discipline is defined and shaped by interest in maps and map-making. An old saying on this is ‘if it cannot be mapped, it is not geography.’ The lead author still could recall how evasive he had been about geography, to the extent that it was sheer fate and destiny, than interest, that influenced its inclusion in his Senior Secondary School Certificate examinations (SSCE) as well as his present career in the discipline. Given this background, we owe the Nigerian society the duties of knowledge and enlightenment on what geography is and what it is not.