By Edentu Oroso (Our Wednesday Columnist)
The hour is ripe—indeed, overdue—for Nigerians, and Africans at large, to confront the glaring cracks in their value systems. The time has come to recalibrate our socio-economic priorities, spiritual consciousness, political ethos, and mental fortitude, and to boldly chart new frontiers of collective dignity and responsibility. At the heart of this urgent reawakening lies the need to construct and uphold a frame of decency—a standard of moral clarity and ethical rigour that steers us away from the chaos of corruption, mediocrity, and cultural dissonance.
In Nigeria, the absence of this frame has engendered a systemic breakdown where moral decay festers unchecked, religious practices are entangled in hypocrisy, politics thrives on deceit, and a debilitating mental servitude anchors us to the fringes of global relevance. Ours is a nation seemingly caught in a tragic dance—a waltz of retrogression, stumbling forward with missteps that inspire neither hope nor pride. Like an unkempt dancer unaware of their reflection, Nigeria sways gracelessly on the world stage, undone by its refusal to self-correct.
For far too long, the nation has elevated mediocrity to a pedestal, mistaking it for progress. Nepotism has become the cornerstone of governance, clannish alliances dictate national discourse, and corruption thrives as a parallel institution. Critical thinking, innovation, and intellectual rigour—the bedrocks of any thriving society—have been relegated to irrelevance, replaced by mental laziness and a disturbing comfort with failure.
When we examine the grotesque theft of public funds, the rise of political demagogues from the ranks of area boys, or the inefficiencies plaguing every sector—from education and healthcare to infrastructure and security—the need for a frame of decency becomes undeniable. The current state of our institutions mirrors a society that has normalised dysfunction, embraced absurdity, and abandoned its collective conscience.
Consider this: Every successive government, since independence, has crafted a legacy of blame, a theatre of excuses. Rather than confronting their inadequacies, leaders point accusing fingers at their predecessors. When the national grid collapses, it is not due to the incompetence of the incumbent government but the failures of the past. When public funds are misappropriated, it is not the greed of current leaders but the inefficiencies of their predecessors. This cyclical blame game extends beyond politics, infiltrating homes, workplaces, and communities. Parents blame their children for familial breakdowns; children blame parents for failing to guide them; citizens blame each other while collectively shirking responsibility. This endless loop of finger-pointing ensures that progress remains elusive. Without accountability, there can be no transformation. Without self-reflection, there can be no growth. A nation that cannot look itself in the mirror to confront its failures is one destined to remain adrift—a ship lost at sea without a compass.
Nigeria’s tragedy lies not in its potential, which is boundless, but in its refusal to harness that potential within a framework of decency. We are a people of extraordinary resilience, creativity, and intellect, yet we squander these gifts on pursuits that undermine our collective greatness. This contradiction—the coexistence of greatness and failure—exposes the critical void in our moral and ethical foundation.
A government that designs policies without decency at its core paves the way for deceit and hypocrisy. A society that shirks responsibility for its failures lays the groundwork for perpetual stagnation. And a people unwilling to demand more of themselves, their leaders, and their institutions doom themselves to mediocrity. So, for how long will we cling to this cycle of blame? How long will we evade responsibility for the decay around us? The time has come to construct a frame of decency—an unyielding standard that demands honesty, integrity, and accountability from all. Without this, our march forward will remain a tragic dance of errors, and the promise of greatness will forever elude us.
We stand at a crossroads. Will we continue to waltz blindly in the shadows of our failures, or will we confront the truth, recalibrate our values, and step boldly into the light? The choice, as always, is ours to make. Our society no longer sees anything amiss in the systems we operate, for our values have undergone a profound distortion. As leaders and followers, we turn a blind eye to the flaws in governance, having long mistaken wrongs for rights. The notion of leaving meaningful legacies for posterity has faded into irrelevance, sacrificed on the altar of immediate gains and selfish ambitions. But who, if not ourselves and future generations, will bear the weight of these squandered ideals? Who will inherit the scars of our collective falsehoods and deceit, if not those yet to be born, who may come to see our failures and moral decay as the blueprint for their own pursuits?
We tread a perilous path, one marked by dangerous compromises and unheeded warnings. In our relentless march toward self-interest, we are crafting a grim destiny for the unborn—a legacy that will echo back to haunt us, even in our graves. By embracing indecency as a norm, we are not only the authors of our decline but the architects of a future that will judge us harshly for the chaos we leave behind.
Why does it seem almost impossible for us to establish good roads that stretch across every corner of our nation, provide clean, potable water for all, or build world-class healthcare systems that cater to everyone? Why do we struggle to uphold a truly progressive democracy, foster leaders who prioritise the people, or nurture functional tertiary institutions that can compete on the global stage? Why is it so difficult to root out the entrenched evils of corruption, nepotism, tribalism, and religious bigotry? Why can’t we, as a nation, live in genuine peace and unity, free from the claws of divisive tactics and the “divide and rule” syndrome? How can Nigeria ever hope to be the giant it so often claims to be when it continues to crouch in the shadows of a beggarly stance and a staggering debt profile?
What has become of our rich heritage and abundant resources? Where are the benefits of our vast oil reserves? Why do our refineries remain relics of neglect, their revival a monumental task? What happened to the agricultural treasures of yesteryears—the towering groundnut pyramids, the lush cocoa and rubber plantations, the flourishing cotton farms, and the palm produce that once defined our regions’ prosperity? What has happened to the values of decency and integrity that characterised us before and shortly after independence?
It is as though we’ve traded our promise for mediocrity, allowing the rot of complacency and mismanagement to erode our legacy. Yet, the question remains: is this the Nigeria we envisioned, or have we simply lost our way? We cannot afford to stagnate while the rest of the world forges ahead with groundbreaking advancements in science and technology. It is neither sustainable nor responsible to persist in the blame game when the urgency of our times calls for united action—both from those who lead and those who follow—for the betterment of our nation and humanity as a whole. We must resist the temptation to behave like ostriches, burying our heads in the sand when what is required is a clear and bold vision of the larger picture. Instead, we must anchor our actions in principles that elevate the common good, for it is in such collective decency that the essence of true civilisation and meaningful progress lies.
The essence of progress in any context lies in the deliberate pursuit of meaningful steps that advance both individual and societal well-being. It is not found in enlightened self-interest or the domination of collective aspirations but in actions that uplift the shared human condition. Progress demands a transformation—an intentional renewal of thought and deed—that is both intrinsic and strategic, designed to elevate the human experience to unprecedented heights. Self-centeredness is not a hallmark of true progress in a civilised society; it is its very denial. Authentic progress embodies the collective good, a reflection of unity and shared purpose. This is the foundation upon which our framework of decency must rest.
