why was fear so normal in Nigerian schools?

why was fear such a normal part of school in Nigeria? in this video essay, i explore corporal punishment in Nigerian schools from caning, collective punishment, fear of teachers to the way obedience was often treated as respect, and ask: what we were actually learning about authority? #nigerianschools #corporalpunishment #nigeria #schooldiscipline #videoessay #commentary 🏷️chapters: 00:00 — i remember a branch 01:49 — school had another curriculum 04:02 — when “discipline” hid violence 07:20 — why did the cane survive? 08:58 — the conditions behind the cane 10:13 — who decides what’s “reasonable”? 11:30 — changing the law isn’t enough 13:53 — how did this become part of school? 14:30 — did fear actually work? 15:25 — what fear actually teaches? 16:38 — authority without the cane 17:10 - what discipline could look like instead 18:13 — what would actually have to change? 18:43 — final thoughts 📚research & sources: Channels Television (2021) Corporal Punishment: Analysts, Kwara Govt Condemn Kwara Islamic School Action.    • Corporal Punishment: Analysts, Kwara Govt ...   Chianu, E. (2000) ‘Two deaths, one blind eye, one imprisonment’. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(7), 1005–1009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10905... Elendu, C. et al. (2025) ‘Ending the practice of corporal punishment in Nigeria’. Annals of Medicine & Surgery, 87(9), 5688–5695. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Emejulu, L. (2019) Physical punishment in Nigerian secondary school: A children’s rights perspective. PhD thesis, Queen’s University Belfast. https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/studentThes... Fakunmoju, S.B. (2020) ‘Perception, use and abolition of corporal punishment among high school teachers’. International Journal of Psychology, 55(1), 106–114. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30338... Federal Government of Nigeria (2024) Government Pledge – Nigeria. https://endviolenceagainstchildrencon... Federal Ministry of Education (2025) Managing Violence in Schools. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/docume... Federal Republic of Nigeria (2003) Child Rights Act 2003. https://placng.org/lawsofnigeria/laws... Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) Criminal Code Act, Cap. C38. https://lawsofnigeria.placng.org/laws... Kea, P. and Maier, K. (2017) ‘Challenging global geographies of power’. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 59(4), 818–845. https://doi.org/10.1017/S001041751700... NBS and UNICEF (2022) Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2021: Statistical Snapshots Report. https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/pdfup... Republic of Kenya (2013) Basic Education Act 2013, s.36. https://kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2013/... Republic of South Africa (1996) South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, s.10. https://www.gov.za/documents/south-af... Sanusi, D. (2025) ‘Outrage as mother confronts school after teacher allegedly flogged three-year-old’. Punch. https://punchng.com/video-outrage-as-... Scottish Parliament (2000) Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, s.16. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/20... Statistics South Africa (2023) ‘Corporal punishment still in schools despite ban’. https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16128 TRT World (2022) Africa Matters: Nigerian Schools Out to End Corporal Punishment.    • Africa Matters: Nigerian schools out to en...   United Kingdom (1987) Education (Corporal Punishment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1... United Kingdom (1996) Education Act 1996, s.548. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/... UBEC and UNICEF (2025) National Assessment of Learning Achievement in Basic Education: NALABE 2022 Report. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/report... U.S. Department of Education (2023) ‘Letter calling for an end to corporal punishment in schools’. https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/ke... Visser, L.N., van der Put, C.E. and Assink, M. (2022) ‘The association between school corporal punishment and child developmental outcomes’. Children, 9(3), 383. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9030383