When I look at them, I ask myself
What motivates them?
What make them wake up in the morning
And want to come for class
Could it be the fear of a query?
A need to just show face
And avoid bearing the name of an unserious lecturer
Could it be a desire for survival
Whatever puts food on the table
Whatever makes the salary complete
Or could it be something deeper
Seeing us young folks wandering in our ignorance
The need to help find straight path for our feet
The need to impact and guide
The need to pour out themselves
Even when rejoice they won’t show up for class
The consistency
Year after year
Watching as freshmen become graduates
The joy, the anger, the pain
The result upgrades, downgrades
Or out rightly failing an insolent students
Anything, just to impact disciplines
Lecturers like fathers
And the ‘get out of my office’
I’m grateful for you
We know Nigerian education is shitty
But your efforts are clearly seen
Your reward is in heaven
Or, here on earth
Your kids will benefit from it too
What we become, or become not
To our lecturers
Who labor in education for us
I am grateful
I am theimisiOluwa