What was once a simple rite of passage has become a dangerous act. Graduating secondary school students blocking highways, climbing moving vehicles and chasing viral fame in reckless sign-out celebrations that have left parents, educators and governments alarmed. As the culture spreads, CHIJIOKE IREMEKA examines the moral drift, painful consequences, and the urgent call to restore character as the forgotten purpose of education
They flooded highways in torn uniforms, danced recklessly between moving vehicles and turned busy streets into stages for one last performance. What they called a sign-out celebration became, for millions of Nigerians watching the viral videos, a haunting reminder of how a cherished graduation tradition has morphed into a reckless spectacle.
Within hours, several such videos from different states had flooded TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, drawing thousands of reactions and igniting outrage over what many described as the dangerous new face of secondary school graduation.
For generations, graduation symbolised the reward for years of discipline, sacrifice and learning. Today, however, educators and parents fear that, for some students, the celebration is increasingly eclipsing the achievement itself.
