by Olanrewaju Osho
Many Nigerians who are genuinely troubled by the nation’s repeated detours on the road to development are united by one persistent word: Why.
Why is Nigeria regressing instead of progressing?
Why do we take one step forward and three steps backward?
Why are corruption, cruelty, and criminality multiplying?
Why does leadership keep failing us—or why are we failing leadership?
Why are both leaders and citizens becoming increasingly self-centered?
Why is the economy deteriorating while life grows harder by the day?
The list of why questions in the hearts and mouths of Nigerians is endless and cannot be exhausted in one article. Yet, the truth must be told plainly: the answers are not hidden. Our greatest failure is not ignorance of the answers, but lack of sincerity to confront them.
Good leadership is widely acknowledged as the solution to Nigeria’s problems. However, leadership does not exist in a vacuum. Leadership stands on values. In every progressive society, the foundation of good leadership and responsible citizenship is a strong value system. And when the foundation is destroyed, the question becomes unavoidable: what can the righteous do?
Nigeria is falling because values have been falling—steadily and visibly—over the last five decades. Almost every negative reality confronting the nation today can be traced to this collapse. To rebuild Nigeria, therefore, Nigerians must deliberately return to the revival and practice of value-driven living.
The failure of leadership in Nigeria is fundamentally a failure of values. This failure is not limited to those at the top; it permeates every layer of society. From homes to schools, streets to markets, institutions—public, private, and even religious—the erosion of values has fueled decadence, disorder, and destruction.
Leadership—whether personal or public—is built on values, not charisma. Skills may open doors, but values determine how far a leader can go and how long they will last.
Every good citizen must aspire to lead—at least to lead themselves, and possibly others. To do this effectively, one must be firmly rooted in the core values of integrity, responsibility, discipline, respect, excellence, service, and accountability.
Ironically, these values are familiar to most Nigerians. Yet, for many, they remain mere head knowledge. When it comes to living them out daily, performance falls far below acceptable standards.
1. Integrity
Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Trust is impossible without it.
A society filled with men and women who lack integrity cannot progress by wishful thinking.
2. Responsibility
Responsible people take ownership. They do not blame, complain, or shift responsibility. They own their lives, communities, states, and nation—and they work together to solve problems.
A society dominated by irresponsible citizens will specialize in complaints instead of creation.
3. Discipline
Consistency, self-control, and commitment to growth distinguish leaders from followers.
To live indisciplined lives personally and expect a sane society collectively is a form of national amnesia.
4. Respect for People
Respect is like a seed: if you do not sow it, do not expect to reap it. True leaders value people, listen actively, and treat others with dignity.
Every citizen mirrors the society. Those who disrespect others should not be surprised when the same behavior returns to them from every direction.
5. Excellence
Excellence is the pursuit of quality over mediocrity. It is a habit, not an event.
A people comfortable with mediocrity live in illusion when they desire excellence in their society.
6. Service
Every human being exists to serve, not to dominate. Impact grows when service leads.
Nigeria suffers from a widespread culture of poor service, and it should not surprise us that political leadership reflects the same failure.
7. Accountability
Accountable people are answerable for their actions and results. They welcome feedback and correction.
Without accountable citizens, where will accountable leaders come from?
At the center of Nigeria’s values crisis sits greed in all its splendour. In the public sector, funds meant for development are brazenly embezzled, turning hospitals into death traps, roads into graveyards, and schools into ruins. The Nigerian Civil Service is gradually degenerating into an “evil service” because core values are being sacrificed on the altar of survival. When integrity becomes optional and compromise becomes a coping mechanism, service loses its soul and corruption becomes routine. In the private sector, the obsessive pursuit of profit—without conscience or restraint—has normalized exploitation, price gouging, and disregard for human dignity.
When wealth becomes the ultimate goal and ethics become optional, society begins to eat itself. Greed does not merely steal money; it steals trust, kills compassion, and accelerates national decay.
Nigeria’s problems are not mysterious. They are buried in our values. And until those values are restored—not in words, but in practice—national renewal will remain a distant dream.
The time for excuses is over. Nigeria does not need more noise; it needs more character. As we prepare to cross – over to a new year, every citizen must consciously choose values over convenience, integrity over shortcuts, service over selfishness, and accountability over impunity. Leaders must understand that power without values is destruction delayed, not progress achieved. Citizens must stop outsourcing responsibility to government alone and begin to rebuild Nigeria from their own conduct, homes, workplaces, and communities.
If values are restored, leadership will heal. If leadership heals, institutions will recover. And if institutions recover, Nigeria will rise. The rescue of Nigeria will not begin in Aso Rock alone—it must begin in the conscience of every Nigerian.
Osho can be reached via hello@inspirenigeria.net
