You attend schools, colleges and universities to acquire knowledge. Knowledge is power. The power that lies therein bequeath us with rational autonomy. Rational autonomy sets us free from encumbrances like irrational beliefs. Educationists, across the globe, unanimously agree that becoming (materially) successful in life is secondary and not the primary aim of education. Sadly, however, people now chase/acquire certificates, not knowledge and certainly not education, with a view to becoming materially successful - a feat which not all university graduates would achieve. Education (construed as the acquisition of skills, competencies, knowledge, critical thinking, rational autonomy) is important. These can help in living a worthwhile and meaningful life - whatever these mean for the individual. It clearly and certainly does not guarantee material success.

First and foremost let’s be clear about the fact that religious beliefs and worldviews are unfalsifiable propositions. These are, therefore, irrationally held beliefs. The narratives contained in the Holy Scriptures of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and in similar scriptures identified with other world religions derive from ancient myths and folklores. If you believe them, you are on the same pedestal as those who believe in the ancient Yoruba myth/folklore which maintains that when the Orisas were coming to this earth, Olodumare gave Ogun, the deity, a machete/cutlass to make a footpath linking heaven and this planet earth and enabling other Orisas to make their respective journeys, by foot, from heaven to the earth. Guys, this as well as other scriptural narratives arguably aren't true.

Now to your question. You sincerely need to get yourself a copy of Darwin’s ‘On the Origins of the Species’, give it a good read, paying due attention to, amongst other things, his discussion of: (i) the causes of variability, especially variation under domestication and nature; (ii) sexual selection and how species change through the process of natural selection and dispersal; and, (iii) hybridism. Good luck!

It's only in Nigeria that this can happen. When Allied Forces unquestionably bombed mosques where Al-Qaeda members in Iraq, Afganaistan and Pakistan were hiding; when Catholic Priests who, for example, committed sexual offences have been arrested right there within church premises in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, to mention a few, suspected criminals can avoid arrest by running into churches. Any wonder these churches are, in places, den of robbers. Any wonder the bible reportedly noted that Jesus (as an agnostic, I don't believe him) said --with respect to the Jerusalem Temple -- 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers'?

I am one of those who believe that the majority of Nigerian Certificates (Diplomas, Bachelors, Masters and PhDs), these days, aren't worth the paper they are printed on. That said, things must be put into perspectives. First Class and 2.1 candidates in what subjects failed which type of test? This would not necessarily raise an alarm bell for me. Why? If, for example, First Class and 2.1. materials in core liberal arts (e.g. Drama, Music, Linguistics and Languages, Religious Studies, Philosophy, etc, etc.) for whatever reasons chose to sit the NNPC exams, these may not necessarily do well in, for example, quantitative reasoning which measures problem-solving ability, focusing on basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. Why not? Their academic backgrounds wouldn't have (adequately) prepared them for this sort of reasoning. Would Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, to mention a few, do well in quantitative reasoning? May be not. Is this symptomatic of their intelligence capability? Definitely not. It's simply not their kettle of fish!  However, those in liberal arts should, I'll imagine, excel not only in verbal reasoning which measures the ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and concepts, but also in analytic reasoning which measures critical thinking and analytic writing skills, specifically the ability to articulate and support complex ideas clearly and effectively.

Conversely, however, whilst science graduates might excel in quantitative reasoning, they may not necessarily do well in verbal reasoning and analytic reasoning. Now, the issue is this. Passing these tests stands or falls with the manner in which these three components of most aptitude tests are aggregated to determine who passes or fails. Whilst university education, broadly, should help graduates to cope with quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and analytic reasoning, the emphasis which different disciplines require seemingly suggest that students in certain disciplines are better than others in certain aspects of aptitude tests. Aptitude tests require that the candidates rely on specifically designed materials, do some practice tests, before seating the examinations.

@ OP: A Nigerian, Samson Adesina, was one of the looters remanded in prison custody yesterday over their roles in the riots, which have seized British major cities for days. The 23-year-old Adesina, an electrical engineering student, was caught by one of the 8,000 surveillance cameras strategically placed in London streets, stealing a flatscreen television at the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre during the riots, The Tower Bridge Magistrate’s Court ordered that he be remanded in prison for a week for his action. With the development, he will miss his final examinations.

I smell a stinkingly dead rat here! UK unis are currently on summer holidays. I can't understand how one week remand in prison would make this chap miss his final examination. If, however, he's doing his masters degree, it may well be the case that he has a deadline for submiting his dissertation somnetime August ending or early September. Either way, the notion of missing final exams seems misleading. That said, make no mistakes, the recent looting spree involved people from different nations around the world. Until we have a breakdown of the nationalities of evryone charged and sentenced in relation to this, it is unfair to speculate or even claim that Nigerians are in the majority. Secondly, it's sad that this guy, at 23, pursuing an electrical engineering course has a bright prospect ahead of him which a criminal record potentially scuttles. Gossip thrives in this, as in other, part(s) of the world. No matter how academically sound he may have been, this is more than likely, perpetually, to cast a shadow of his integrirty. His professors and colleauges would, more than likely, have nothing good to say about him.

Guys, we're in the 21st Century CE. Narratives (including the creation stories) contained in the Hebrew Bible purely derive from Ancient Near Eastern mythological and folkloric traditions. If you believe them, you'll believe anything, including the existence of unicorns.

Any wonder, as someone has already noted on NL (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-729997.0.html) that some Nigerian mission universities do not have theology departments! The fact is, subsequent biblical narratives stand or fall with the creation stories in the Book of Genesis, explaining the unwillingness of some within the Judeo-Christian traditions to doggedly hold on to the Scriptures as inspired word of god. Quite clearly, Venema and other researchers at BioLogos Foundation have arguably not only seen the light which should lighten their darkness, but also encountered the truth which should set them free from the shackles of religious beliefs.

Thanks to everyone for the various, varied and variegated responses. The morning I posted this message, my mum who normally goes to bed around 9pm strangely called me about 2.00am to ask how 'am doing. I picked the call but was sobbing profusely, muttering no coherent words. She arranged for a family friend of hers to drive down to mine and they took me in and 'am still with them. I’ll like to leave here at the earliest convenience because I feel like invading their privacy, though are most welcoming and would want me to spend some more time with them. I sent one of their kids to my apartment to fetch me my laptop and a few stuff, hence my inability, before now, to get back to you guys on this forum. I've taken time off work and feel a bit relaxed, and my mum would be here to spend some time with me from the end of next week.

Thanks to those suggesting I take succour/refuge in religion/God/Jesus/church/mosque. This is simply not for me. Apart from the fact that I come from a deeply religious family, I am not a religious person mainly because religious beliefs are, in my view, quintessentially irrational. Albeit, I'll describe myself as someone who believes in fair play and subscribes to universal moral codes (morality, rationality and irrationality being relatives rather than absolutes). So, as far as religion is concerned 'am going nowhere near it.

@ Claremont: Yes, re-defining happiness is one route I'll like to explore and 'am having psychological and counselling sessions looking at this as well as personality types which Idehn was trying to map out.

@ MyJoe: I publish and engage in discourses with colleagues not just locally but globally in my field and actually maintain a lively academic blog (won’t divulge it as anyone could be reading this). But there seems to be a wedge between what I do professionally and my ordinary life.

Anyway guys thanks for your help, you’ve been wonderful. I’m taking each day as it comes. Oh, xxqwisit, I’ll try and get in touch.

The above literally says it all. I've struggled all my life and academically achieved the best I could. I earned my Bachelors degree with First Class Honours, my Masters degree with Distinction and completed my PhD -- from Russell Group unis in the UK. In hindsight, I can now say that my studies gradually put a wedge between me and everyone else: siblings, parents, friends, you name it! I had no time for them (all comfortable, needed nothing from me, except to keep up with me). My social life and subsequently my social skill monumentally became disastrous. I never realized this when I was hiding away in the ivory towers -- where I participated in nothing except my studies: classmates and professors called me "THE MONK", asking whether I would be going into a monastery after living the uni. Plunged into the real world 4 years ago, after finishing my PhD, I knew I had problems. I have no friends because I can't sustain relationships and I've been tagged a loner both at work and in my neighbourhood. I earn good salary, have my own inner city apartment, and quite comfortable, but these do not tantamount to happiness for me. I have sought help from counselors and psychologists (both clinical and psychiatry), have gone on holidays, but all to no avail. My birthday is drawing nigh and on clocking 40, I think it's high time I threw in the towel.