Achieving national transformation through ethical reorientation By Tayo Ogunbiyi Achieving national transformation through ethical reorientation By Tayo Ogunbiyi

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Former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, launched a campaign to rebrand the country, ostensibly aimed at burnishing the country’s image under the slogan “Nigeria: Good People. Great Nation”. To many observers, the short-lived project was, apparently, a bold effort doomed to fail, just like the previous government’s campaign christened Nigeria, Heart of Africa. Not because the new slogan was not creative enough, but because, it was observed, no one builds from the top. A house without a solid foundation will certainly collapse.

This is the tragedy of the Nigerian nation where hypocrisy, deception and falsehood appear to have become instruments of governance and social interaction. Today, the Federal Government is mouthing a transformational agenda. The question, however, is how do you transform without pursuing a genuine process of complete socio-political rebirth? The truth is that the majority of those that are to translate the transformational agenda into a reality are themselves, in need of personal transformation. Of course, everyone knows the outcome of the blind leading the blind!

Who really cares about Nigeria and Nigerians? What has become of the various probes that have been carried out by the National Assembly in an attempt to correct certain perceived malappropisms in the system? Truth be told, those who instituted and constituted such probes know from the beginning that they were chasing shadows. But it is in such shadow chasing that their bread can be buttered! So, Nigeria continues to groan under the deceitful maneuvers of leaders. This has been the circle since 1960 and it won’t change until we embrace total re-orientation in order to rebuild the collapsed walls of morals and integrity, in all facets of the society.

How can we achieve transformation, the type promised by President Goodluck Jonathan when public funds are being stolen with reckless abandon by those who should watch over them? How can we achieve transformation when the majority of those who occupy positions of authority are full of deception and falsehood? How can we achieve transformation when leaders who swore to an oath to champion the course of truth and justice publicly celebrate the death of truth?

Evidently, what we need to transform Nigeria is a complete re-orientation that cuts across all spectrums of the society. A process that is all encompassing in the sense of a fusion between the physical and the spiritual. Something that affects the mind, the soul and the spirit positively.

As a prelude to setting this process on course, we need to change our value system as a people. We need to re-appraise our undue obsession to materialism and primitive wealth accumulation. It is such mania that is partly responsible for the rot in our socio-political system.

How come men of questionable character and unproven integrity call the shots in nearly every sector in the country? The answer is simple. Money has become our god. Sadly, religious centres are not excluded from this craze! Neither are traditional institutions.

Today, respected monarchs, who occupy sacred ancestral thrones, give out chieftaincy titles to the highest bidders. These days, we have chiefs, who are actually thieves, wine and dine with kings. Nowadays, people place curses on their relations for upholding integrity and honesty while holding political offices.

Until we reorder our priority as a people, we will continue to get it wrong. Since 1979, for instance, can we boldly say that we have got it right as a nation? From former President Shehu Shagari’s era till date, have we not been struggling as a nation? Indeed, the journey has been tortuous because we have imbibed the wrong attitude to leadership and following.

In the days of our founding fathers, men of ideas and principles were widely respected and honoured. Our national heroes such as Herbert Macaulay, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Aminu Kano among others did not rise to national prominence as a result of the fatness of their bank accounts. Rather, they won the hearts of men of their generation because of the strength and depth of their ideas and principles as well as their total commitment to those ideals which they held in high esteem. Ken Saro Wiwa put his life on the line not because of a pecuniary advantage. No! He died because of his commitment to the preservation of the environment of the Ogoni ravaged by oil exploration. Nelson Mandela is a legend, across the world today, in view of his principled stance against apartheid.

Sadly, discipline, integrity, hard work, honesty, and selflessness among other hitherto revered virtues in our society, have taken the back seat. Gone are the days when student union activities on our campuses were based purely on principles and Ideological leanings.

Today, student union leaders hobnob with the very oppressors that they are supposed to tackle, in as much as the pay is good. If Mandela had acted in such a manner, perhaps, South Africa would still be under political bondage today! One is yet to be aware of how much of wealth Aristotle, Pluto and other men of ideas of their time pursued. Yet, years after they had gone, they continue to impact on succeeding generations.

Governments across the land have a vital role to play in this re-orientation process. There is a need to put in place a culture that rewards honesty, integrity and discipline. Take, for instance, the issue of national honours. A look at those who had been honoured in the past smells money and power. Please, do not get me wrong, entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged and rewarded. But, it should not only be in relation to how much money is involved. One wonders why, for instance, a traffic warden who is diligent in his chosen field, and recognised as such, cannot be decorated with a national honour to encourage dignity of labour? Or, better still, what stops an enterprising and hard working farmer in a remote part of the country from being decorated with the award?

Also, one other vital key to changing our value system is good governance. Governance is about service. It is about selflessness. It is amusing that people kill, maim, rig and resort to other forms of manipulations to acquire power. Leaders who understand and appreciate the whole essence of governance are very few in the country. Whereas, unalloyed commitment to good governance remains a crucial path to transformation.

Nigerians appear crazy about wealth acquisition because of the failure of successive governments to meet their socio-economic needs. Imagine a Nigeria where public infrastructure works! Imagine a Nigeria where light rail links all the cities, towns and villages together! Imagine a Nigeria where qualitative public education is accessible to all. Imagine a Nigeria where public electricity is stable and constant. Imagine a Nigeria where everyone, irrespective of social status, can afford a decent home.

It is the inability of government at all levels, over time, to meet these basic needs that is responsible, in part, for the craze for wealth at all costs among Nigerians. Everyone wants to provide for himself and his family the basic needs of life which government couldn’t provide.

This is the reason why the nation has become a jungle where everyone devises all sorts of survival strategies. After all, the end, as they say, justifies the means.

The way forward, is for every one of us to have a rethink.

It doesn’t matter where we are, we can get to where we ought to be if we are determined to build a new nation. We can do it. We have the potential. We have the resources. All we need is a strong resolve to start afresh. (Culled from Punch)


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