Numerous attempts have been made to identify and address Nigeria’s issues, but these efforts have been ineffective and failed due to misdiagnosis. While lack of jobs, corruption, maladministration, poor leadership , decaying infrastructure and lawlessness are often cited as the country’s primary problems, a more nuanced analysis reveals that these issues are merely symptoms of deeper problems. The root causes of Nigeria’s challenges are ethical, cultural, and greed-related, stemming from a lack of moral compass. Thus any attempts at mitigating or resolving the challenges must start with finding solutions for these identified problems.
By applying mathematical concepts such as probability and statistics, we can better understand the nature of these problems. For instance, if we consider two baskets of tomatoes, one with good samples and the other with bad samples, we can see that the probability of selecting a good tomato from the first basket is near 100%, while the probability of selecting a bad tomato from the same basket is near 0%. This analogy can be applied to Nigeria’s situation, where the country’s problems can be shown to be a reflection of its societal values.
To address these issues, a cultural transformation is necessary. This can be achieved by introducing ethics, integrity, and moral values into the education system, promoting public awareness campaigns, mobilizing labor, youth, and market women organizations and civil society organizations to embrace and imbibe culture change while also helping to promote accountability and personal responsibility. By planting the seed for culture change from the ground up, we can create a new generation of Nigerians who value integrity, accountability, and transparency.
Some may argue that culture change must start from the top, but this approach is unlikely to be effective, as those in positions of power are often products of the same system they are being asked to change. Instead, we must focus on transforming society as a whole, starting with the education system, our homes, places of worship, our places work, and working our way up.
The “boiling water theory” provides a useful analogy for this process. Just as water molecules rises to the surface and then fall back down as they are heated, repeating the process until water reaches boiling point, cultural transformation can start from the ground and gradually work its way up until it reaches a critical mass. At this point, the entire society would have become ethically transformed, and the country’s problems will ultimately dissipate and fizzle out.
To achieve this transformation, we must work together to promote ethical values, accountability, and transparency and put an end to “Oga Abeg” syndrome that prevents accountability and promotes recklessness and lawlessness. These can be done through various initiatives, including:
▪ Changing the education system to include the teaching of ethics, moral values, and integrity in the curricula.
▪ Promoting public awareness campaigns to educate people on the importance of ethics and transparency, and encouraging civil society organizations to promote accountability and personal responsibility.
▪ Using movies and documentaries to promote the right values and the importance of citizenship.
▪ Enlisting other organizations, such as labor and youth groups, in promoting the fight against corruption
▪ Calling for the eradication of state of origin or local government of origin in all government transactions and processes and replacing it with state and local government area of residence.
▪ Educating people on the importance of insisting on atonement and restitution before forgiveness and rejecting “Oga Abeg “.
▪ Educating people on the evils of corruption and how Naira spraying is a gateway to corruption.
▪ Working with various governmental agencies and civil society to promote training on ethical standards and high moral values.
▪ Promoting a more robust engagement from the National Orientation Agency
▪ Advocate for the passage of lifestyle audit for all public
By working together to promote cultural transformation and ethical values, we can create a better future for Nigeria and its people. As we embark on this journey together, please ask what can I do to leave this country better than I met it and how can I bequeath a greater nation to the younger generation, for collectively, we are the change that we seek. Let’s make this happen starting today.
Nosa Osaikhuiwu is an advocate for culture change and ethical transformation. He is the President of the Council for Culture Change and Ethical Transformation