NIGERIA: A Nation Grappling with Indecency & Integrity Bankruptcy

In recent weeks, I've been struck by the disheartening revelations from a retiring justice of Nigeria's Supreme Court – Justice Dattijo Muhammad, lamenting the pervasive corruption that has corroded our once-proud judicial institution. This integrity deficit extends across our democratic, religious, traditional, and economic frameworks, questioning the fabrics holding our nation together.

The great American philosopher and founder of Ethical Culture movement Prof. Felix Adler once said, ‘where the roots of private virtue are diseased, the fruit of public probity will surely be corrupt’. Where then lies the virtuous transformational leaders of the various institutions that are supposed to knit the fabrics of our nation?

As corruption seeps into the core of our society, echoing the words of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan suffices: ‘corruption is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on societies. It corrodes democracy, distorts the rule of law, quality of life and breeds organised crimes. Nigeria’s current state reflect all of these in the light of high Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking (Transparency International report of 2022) inclusive of allowing morally bankrupt and juristically corrupt jurists to be part of the bench of the highest court in our country. A corrupt judge is more harmful to the society than a man who runs amok with a dagger in crowded market.

The disconcerting state of our judiciary, tasked with upholding the law and ensuring the nation's leaders embody integrity, is particularly troubling. The presence of individuals like Justice Inyang Okoro, implicated in bribery scandals (Sahara Reporters, October 8, 2016) on the bench of the highest court raises questions about the moral compass guiding our nation. A judiciary tainted by corruption risks bequeathing a corrupted leadership on Nigerians through compromised judgments – a confirmed snake will surely be snaky.

Leadership integrity, the bedrock of societal values, is paramount. A deficiency in this regard leads to betrayals and jeopardizes societal cohesion. Nigeria's current challenge lies in a societal value system that seemingly rewards cunning over virtue, exemplified by identity theft, certificate forgery, and moral bankruptcy. Where then lies the leadership integrity in our nation? Where justice is corrupted, what then is sovereignty but organized brigandry?

For the fact that, the leadership character anatomy of our country wrongly depicts us as an integrity and morally bankrupt nation which has consequently dwarfed our global outlook in recent times coupled with my adage: ‘a people that refuses to emancipate themselves from the anarchist leaders/dealers will continue to be perpetually emaciated under their whims and caprices’, we shall therefore unequivocally be demanding for a revisit on:

• The qualification to contest or otherwise of the INEC declared candidate of the 2023 presidential election based on the 1999 Nigeria constitution as amended and the 2022 electoral guidelines;
• The Hon. Ihedioha’s governorship petition been held up in Supreme Court since 2019;
• The Supreme Court judgements which validate the candidacies of Akpabio & Lawan based on the 2022 electoral guidelines;
• Political office holders’ cases of certificate scandals and identity theft;
• The rationale behind allowing pump price of PMS to jump from N190/ltr to N618/ltr;
• Some of the essentials in the recently approved supplementary budget by the present senate led by Mr. Akpabio among others.

Despite these challenges, Nigerians must not succumb to despair in the face of many injustices however, take on deviance, organised protests and passive resistance as a potent instrument for recalibrating our nation's compass of values. As Mahatma Gandhi advocated, non-violent agitation which is inclusive of passive resistance and civil disobedience can be a veritable means of seeking justice and truth while demanding social change through peaceful resistance.

For those who earnestly seek for this national recalibration, the time has come to die for something rather than live for nothing. We must move away from too much of our docility and analysis which often lead to paralysis. We must realise that, we are the wealth of our nation and the moment the enabling environment for both personal with national development is not there, then the future of Nigeria is jinxed. The time is now to seek for and develop the transformational, patriotic and ideological personalities that will navigate our ship of nationhood to that sphere which we collectively desires.

The time has now come to heed the collective national clarion call of getting ourselves EMANCIPATED!

Thank you for your unwavering commitment always.

Warm regards,
Dayo Kayode, PhD
Socio-Political Technocrat & Aviation Safety Expert

Convener: Coalition of Nigeria Stakeholders Forum

Ifako-Ijaye, Lagos
Contact: 08022624195 (WhatsApp)

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