Nigeria’s crisis of governance is not only economic or political. It is deeply moral. While teaching Civic Education recently some students boldly told me that topics like integrity honesty and accountability should be scrapped from Nigeria’s school curriculum because our leaders no longer practice them. Their words were unsettling not because they were rude but because they were honest. When young citizens begin to see virtue as outdated theory rather than living practice it signals a dangerous collapse of national values.
Public office was never designed to be a personal inheritance or a survival strategy. At its core it is a sacred trust. Across societies leadership has always been anchored on accountability to a higher authority whether defined as God conscience or moral law. When leaders believe they answer only to power and not to principle governance degenerates into self service. Nigeria’s problem is not a shortage of capable people but the gradual erosion of ethical restraint among those entrusted with authority.
In countries where integrity still matters institutions may fail yet values restrain excess. In Nigeria both systems and values are under strain. Laws are bent enforcement is selective and accountability is often ceremonial. This moral vacuum explains why corruption is normalized and why students can confidently argue that honesty has no reward in public life. When governance is cut off from moral grounding power becomes louder than truth and loyalty replaces competence.
Faith in governance does not mean turning the state into a pulpit nor does it require religious slogans in public offices. It means leaders who fear consequences beyond elections courts and media cycles. A public servant who understands stewardship will think twice before looting funds or abusing authority. Integrity shaped by moral conviction creates restraint even when no one is watching. Without that inner compass institutions alone cannot rescue a nation.
This failure is most visible at the grassroots. Local governments meant to be closest to the people are often the most distant. Budgets are announced but not felt. Projects are commissioned on paper and abandoned on land. When leaders no longer see their role as service under God history and the people governance becomes performance rather than responsibility and citizens lose faith not just in leaders but in the idea of leadership itself.
Nigeria does not need perfect leaders but principled ones. Integrity remains the quiet force that rebuilds trust restores institutions and inspires the next generation to believe again. When students suggest removing integrity from the curriculum they are not rejecting morality they are protesting hypocrisy. Governance without God understood as moral accountability is governance without restraint. And no nation can survive that path. Public office must once again be seen not as a prize to be captured but as a trust to be honored for the sake of today and tomorrow.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
08152094428 (SMS Only)
